Zhejiang captain Cheng Jin: I don't feel like a veteran at all, and the 30-year-old midfielder is just the right age

Written by Zori Since entering the youth training of Zhejiang FC at the age of 12, Cheng Jin has been wearing the green jersey of No. 22, and has grown up with this club that makes him "feel down-to-earth".

In March last year, the 29-year-old Cheng Jin was called up to the national football team for the first time. Since Ivankovic took office, this distinctive technical midfielder, from the round of 36 to the round of 18 in every training camp he has not been absent, but the injury found the door, in the 11th round of the league, Cheng Jin suffered a serious injury to his left knee and needed two or three months to recover, and he could only temporarily become a spectator in the national football team in June.

In an interview with this newspaper, it has been 24 days since Cheng Jin was injured away in Chengdu, and there is still a week before the national football team plays Jakarta. He hoped that he could recover as soon as possible, come back as soon as possible, and contribute his strength to the national football team and the Zhejiang team.

For professional players, the recovery period is not about resting, let alone lying flat, it is necessary to carry out rehabilitation training according to the requirements of doctors, team rehabilitation teams, etc., not as simple as moving the body, but requiring the injured to do their best in regular and quantitative customized training. Recently, Cheng Jin has been driving back and forth between the club and his home every day, training as usual, but the training location has been changed from the stadium to the rehabilitation center.

It is understood that Cheng Jin suffered a torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee this time. At present, he has thrown away his crutches and is in the early stage of rehabilitation. Under the careful care of the club's rehabilitation team, it was already possible to do some knee bending and small strength exercises with the injured left leg. This is comforting good news for Zhejiang fans who believe that "this home can't live without you". In this regard, Cheng Jin is very grateful for the care of the fans and the care of the club, "In order to make a comeback as soon as possible, I will continue to work hard." ”

From the ignorant teenager of the U12 echelon to the 30-year-old midfield core of the first team, Cheng Jin has worked hard for the Zhejiang team for 18 years, during which he went to Belgium at the age of 16 to try out for two months, and at the age of 20, he went on loan to Wuhan Zall twice, accumulating a season of "leveling experience". The only two days in his football career when he left the Sino-Thai base, he used every opportunity to improve himself, also in order to "repay his parent team".

Spending time alone in Europe was a short one, but it was an important experience. In Belgium, he personally experienced the charm of the local football culture, but due to his lack of language skills and adaptability, it became a pity that he "couldn't last longer".

Cheng Jin's first-team debut for Zhejiang was on July 8, 2015, when Zhejiang played against his hometown team Henan Jianye in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Wuhan is where he began his career to gain a lot of game experience and quickly grasp the characteristics of professional football. In July 2015, Cheng Jin made his professional league debut in Wuhan Zall against Beijing Beikong and scored his first career goal.

After returning to Hangzhou from Wuhan, Cheng Jin never left the Zhejiang team again, and the Sino-Thai base, which had opened his eyes at first, became more and more cordial as he spent more and more time in it. In the next 9 years, he interpreted the self-requirements of "persistence and love" with his actions.

In the past 9 years, the overall characteristics of the club's "stability and persistence" have been completely integrated with Cheng Jin's individual behavior. "There have been a lot of regrets over the years." He said, "For example, we only finished second in the National Games, we were relegated from the Chinese Super League, and we could have returned to the Chinese Super League earlier. "In the past 9 years, it is not without the temptation of the outside world, but Cheng Jin always feels that he has stayed here the most down-to-earth, and he has never been at a loss and helpless. Many Zhejiang fans want him to play here until he retires, and he completely agrees, "I want to do this too, and I am willing to continue to work hard for this." ”

Cheng Jin always believes that if he persists, there will be surprises. If it was a surprise for him to be selected for the national football team last year, then he hopes to surprise the Zhejiang team and fans, "I want to bring a championship to the Zhejiang team." Cheng Jin said that whether the championship comes from the league or the cup, the weight of the championship should be "worthy of the team and the fans".

In Cheng Jin's view, sticking to his original intention for more than ten years is not embarrassing himself. It is precisely because of the choice of "growing up with the Zhejiang team" and thoroughly integrating into this team that the value of the individual has improved with the team. "If the Zhejiang team continues to stay in the Chinese League, it is unlikely that I will be selected for the national team at the age of 29."

From the national youth to the national youth, and then to the U22 national team, Cheng Jin's journey to the national brand once went very smoothly. But after 2017, it didn't go any further. It was not until March 2024 that Ivan was selected for the national football team for the first time, with a gap of seven years. In the past seven years, what Cheng Jin has done is to "insist on daily training, perform at every time in the league, cherish every minute, and bring help to the team".

In Cheng Jin's view, the road to the national football team is both bumpy and lucky. "The bumpy thing is that the teammates who entered the national youth together that year were selected for the national team earlier and got more appearances; Fortunately, through hard work, he finally knocked on the door of the national team at the age of 29. ”

After entering the national team, Cheng Jin seriously participated in training, cherished every minute, did not miss 12 training camps and preparations, and was included in the competition list 11 times. Only in the first round of the round of 18 was the 0-7 defeat away to Japan, and he was not included in the list of matches and sat in the stands in Tokyo. As for the only time he had the experience of the national football team without a game mission, he recalled his experience of watching the game live: "I feel that there is a big gap in level, and Japan is completely a world powerhouse. 'Personally, he doesn't have enough awareness of the difficulties of this game.

Despite the frequency of selections, he made very few appearances, only making two substitute appearances and playing less than 30 minutes. On October 10, 2024, when the national football team played away against Australia and fell behind 1-2, he came on as a substitute in the 68th minute to make his debut; At home to Indonesia in the same year, he came on as a substitute in the 89th minute.

Cheng Jin was very excited to make his first appearance for the national football team against Australia, but his debut performance was not good, "I didn't help the team rewrite the score, it doesn't feel good." But fortunately, "the whole team came together and quickly recovered their fighting power, and as a result, they won against Indonesia five days later and won three points".

Some people may feel that sitting on the bench for a long time is an ordeal, whether it is for club or country. But in Cheng Jin's view, as long as he can enter the national team, he will get the opportunity to persevere, learn and grow. For him, half a year of recuperation from a broken collarbone in the 2022 season, as well as a knee injury during the employment of the club and national team this season, both of which occurred when the competitive condition was right, is the real torment.

Regarding Cheng Jin's experience in the national football team, many fans who like him are indignant, and they don't understand what Ivan means by repeatedly "calling but not using"? In this regard, Cheng Jin said: "The national team does not have the main force and substitutes, and the job of each player is to go all out to complete every training session and be ready to play at any time. Me too. ”

Although there are not many opportunities to play, Cheng Jin feels that he has gained a lot every time he plays for the country, "The national team is the highest hall of professional players, everyone cherishes the opportunity to be selected, and will give 200% effort in preparation." He said that the real atmosphere and fast training rhythm in the national football training not only benefited him personally, but after returning to the club, he will try his best to be a good example for his teammates and drive the attitude and rhythm of the team's training.

As the captain and big brother of the Zhejiang team, Cheng Jin was happy to see Wang Yudong and Wang Shiqin selected for the national football team again. "Needless to say, everyone can see their abilities." He said, "In my training, I can feel that they both have a strong desire to compete and their enthusiasm for training. They were able to help the team in the game, and both of them did a good job. "Going forward, both youngsters have more games to play and both have room for improvement.

is also an excellent representative of Zhejiang FC youth training, Liu Haofan was still in primary school at the football school when he entered the Sino-Thai base, and Cheng Jin was already playing in the first team. The 21-year-old centre-back was selected in the last national football training squad. Cheng Jin said that when Liu Haofan first joined the first team three years ago, he felt that this little junior brother's "ability and technology" were fine, and he would become more and more mature in the future. In addition to these three well-known young players, Cheng Jin believes that goalkeeper Huo Shenping and midfielder Bao Shengxin are also worthy of Zhejiang fans' expectations.

Regarding the question of whether he will step into the ranks of veterans when he is "30 years old" this year, he said: "I don't feel like I have suddenly become a veteran, I don't feel this way at all. The 30-year-old midfielder is at his best when he is playing and has the best technique and experience. Maybe there are many young players in our Zhejiang team, and the outside world may draw this impression when compared with it. ”

In the Zhejiang team, the last two head coaches have attached great importance to Cheng Jin, the midfield organizer, and the advice given to him by the predecessor Jody is to stick to his own characteristics and think more and use his brain more when organizing and mobilizing the whole team; The current Kaneda publicly lamented after the 2-2 draw at home to Henan in the 13th round of the league that Cheng Jin's absence had a decisive impact on the team's organization. In a private one-on-one conversation, Caneda asked him to pay attention to the change in position and be more flexible in his positioning, thinking that it would be more suitable for his performance.

Although he rarely has the opportunity to communicate with the head coach alone in the national team, Cheng Jin, who has participated in 12 training camps, is a member of the team who knows Ivan and the team. "I think Ivan is a pragmatic coach who has his own set of tactical ideas." He said that the current points and situation of the national football team are very difficult, and he hopes that his teammates can calm down and overcome difficulties away from home, and if they can resolve the pressure of the life-and-death battle and give full play to their abilities, "then we can beat Indonesia." ”