On my own program The Football Talk, which is broadcast every Friday on www.163.com, I had a long interview with Sun Jihai, China’s most successful ever footballer. In this 90 minutes chat, Sun covered issues about his bewilderment of being omitted from the national team, even though at the age of 37, he is still being voted week in week out as the top centre half in the China Super League. Sun also compared the different football cultures in China and Europe, as well as his planning for retirement.
Witty and humorous, Sun always has been a deep thinker in football. His 6 year overseas experience and 130 matches played for Manchester City, left him with considerable resources for rebuilding football in China from the grassroots.
John Yan: What’s your plan for retirement?
Sun: Haven’t got a plan yet. I am still playing, reasonably well at this stage. I really enjoy my football, and hopefully I can continue for another couple of years. Play till I am incapable of playing in the top league in China, and until I am not as happy as I am now with my football.
John Yan: Tell us the secret of keeping your professional career this long, you started in 1995?
Sun: Yes, 1995, as a young right back in the old Jia A (Top Division) of China league. If there are any secrets, those should be a systematic training habit, a good and healthy life style, and a happy and supportive family.
John Yan: Talking about the current season, your club (Gui Zhou Renhe FC) is still in the running for next season’s Asian Champions League position, and you played in almost every round of the league, in the league’s best eleven most of the time. Why are you not in the national team, which really needs some old heads and experience?
Sun: I was only absent from two league games because of accumulated bookings…not red card, but accumulated yellows! The national team has been a thorny issue, I don’t understand the CFA’s selection policy and neither do I know much of Camacho nor the current interim head coach. I am a bit disappointed, though it is not a bad thing being neglected, I could spend more time with my family…however, it is still something I don’t understand. In regarding to capability, I have no doubt that I can do a job for the national team.
John Yan: I remember before this season started (the Chinese season starts rns March till November), you had a full training month in Shenzhen, and you were very positive about rejoining the national team.
Sun: It was really good indeed. I got my dad joining from Dalian for the whole month. We didn’t rest for a single day. Even during the Spring Festival break, we went out of the closed training base, and found some gym rooms in downtown hotels for training. As you know my dad is a well respected decathlon coach, he knows how to prepare me for a new season.
John Yan: It is a shame that the national team should leave you alone. However, you had a career that would make most Chinese footballers envious. Playing in the English Premiership would be very special.
Sun: An eye opener. The football culture, the professionalism in club management. The grassroots. Everything. I had all those well stored in my memory, and hopefully I could find a way to put this knowledge to better use.
John Yan: Do you have your doubts of post playing career planning?
Sun: Of course I do. Considering my current form and I am still not being selected by the national team, what else can you expect the CFA to deliver? My life will always be connected with football, especially with the youth development, but how can I contribute to that?
John Yan: So you are not satisfied with the current grassroots and youth development situation?
Sun: Definitely not, even though my dissatisfication doesn’t mean anything to the CFA guys, and this situation drives me crazy sometimes. I’ve got several questions to ask: how many kids in China nowadays have the time to play football? How many pitches do we construct for kids in this vast country? We’ve been talking about the population of China for ages, seems easy to pick out 11 decent footballers to represent the nation, but how big is our football population?
John Yan: Then you still want to focus on youth development in the future?
Sun: That is the only hope for China’s football. I could be a professional club manager, as I’ve been preparing for that for quite a long period of time now, however, to transfer what I learned and avoid the sufferings I encountered in my career, and help produce more good players for the future, is my aim. I haven’t got a sound plan for the moment, but I am trying from all angles, including seeking cooperation opportunities with Manchester City FC, my former club. They have a fabulous youth development scheme now, and maybe we can create something together in China.
John Yan: Among the current Chinese international players, who has the potential of playing in Europe, like the Premier League?
Sun: Not any from my perspective…maybe I am not objective enough, some young players, like Zhang Linpeng of Guangzhou Evergrande, he has the physical strength and aggressiveness, perhaps he has a chance.
Follow link to John Yan’s The Football Talk: http://sports.163.com/special/footballtalk/s02e10.html
John Yan is Deputy Editor of Netease.com. Contact him at moc.l1713529759iamg@17135297598002g1713529759naiqn1713529759ay1713529759, or on weibo at: http://weibo.com/1646270104/profile?topnav=1&wvr=5
为什么不用孙继海？
孙继海袒露心扉
颜强：欢迎继续收看《超级颜论》，今天我们这段的话题可能跟英超岁月就不同了，更多的是关于你跟中国足球的关系。
颜强：第一个问题也是我们在微博和微信上征集最多的问题，你还想踢几年？
孙继海：没有一个具体的年限，踢到不高兴、不能踢为止。
颜强：OK,踢到不高兴，那第二个话题，就是你的职业生涯如此之长寿，秘诀是什么？
孙继海：一个系统的训练、一个这个好的生活习惯、一个好的家庭。
颜强：最后一个快速问答的问题，用一个词来概括米卢？
孙继海：比较猾，这个猾呢不是说那种…可以用狡猾的我猾字，但是这个猾呢，不是说形容这个人非常狡猾，因为你只给我一个字嘛，如果两个字我可以说老道，但是一个字我只能说猾，是这样子。
颜强：我听懂他的意思了，其实米卢就是一个比狡猾还猾的老滑头。
孙继海：狡猾好象让大家感觉不是特别诚实，然后是一个贬义词，但是在我这个意义当中呢是一个中性词。
颜强：OK，一个中性的狡猾。其实说到米卢就说到国家队了，其实我知道这两个赛季，从你个人的竞技状态，从贵州人和的成绩来看的话，你对自己的国脚生涯将如何判断，你的国脚生涯结束了吗？
孙继海：如果按照你说的这个理由啊，我感觉我完全有理由重新这个穿上刚才咱们片子里放的那个带着国旗的球衣，为国效力。我不想说假话，我不想说假话，我这个人不习惯说假话，但是从我个人的这个因素来说，说实话我不是特别愿意重新征战国家队的比赛，这是自私的去讲的。
颜强：怎么讲呢？是因为什么原因？
孙继海：什么原因啊，可能我对中国足球有一些我自己的看法，就是说之所以我用了良好的表现，仍然没有赢得这样的机会，可以说有一些心灰意冷，心灰意冷。
颜强：我在这中可以举一个例子啊，因为我记得在今年年初，2013年1月份你在深圳训练的时候，我记得你当时在朋友圈里面发过一组照片，当时练的非常辛苦，而且好象是您的父亲也去到了深圳？
孙继海：我在深圳，父亲待了一个多月、四十天的冬训准备期的这段时间里啊，没有一天休息，没有一天休息。
其实从整个表现来看，我觉得我仍然有机会，这个表现是我自己本人的表现，在联赛当中。这个表现是在同样位置的球员在国家队当中的表现，我都可以说我完全有理由赢得这样的机会，但是没有，没有说实话我本人有一点点心灰意冷了，我这么大的年纪，作为球员来说，可能家庭对我来说更重要，能够跟亲戚、朋友、家人团聚的这种机会对我来说更重要，我为中国足球我想说贡献了差不多整个的这个青春年华，从96年到，你看这个世界杯，我能做的我都做过了，但是我想说但是啊，每一个中国球员，每一个，我想说到了赛场上都是说，当穿上这个带了国旗的衣服的时候，征战赛场绝对不会有退缩，绝对不会有其他的一些小我的思想存在。我不敢说每一个，刚才说的每一个可能比较那个什么，但是我想说我是这样子的人。
颜强：然后再回到中国足球，因为我们真的是没有想到，就我个人来讲，我都没想到你能够在今天这个年龄还保持着这么好的状态，我完全相信你能够踢到37、38岁，但是觉得你可能就是踢一个半主力，或者是一个资深老队员的这么一个角色，而你现在的话对于自己的未来退役是没有打算的，你都说不出你还能踢几年？
孙继海：我如果说踢到你刚才所描述的这个状况的话，就是说已经到了我不高兴的时候了，可以这样说你在足球场上应该看不到我了。
颜强：这其实是孙继海对他未来的一种职业球员生涯的一个描述。但是我知道，你其实对于自己退役之后，虽然不知道退役是什么时候发生，但是你对退役之后的情况是有一定的自己的向往和安排的？
孙继海：该来的总会来。应该不会脱离跟足球有关系吧，因为我刚才说了，我真的是想为中国足球出一份力，做一份贡献，但是从目前的这个情况来说，我不知道从何入手，然后我不知道我所擅长的这些知识，足球方面的我的这个特长能够通过什么渠道展示出来，哪怕以球员的身份为国效力这都不能够实现，那么其他的很容易吗？可能难上加难。
颜强：我们这里放的就是你前年参加的一段青少年选秀的过程，其实你对目前中国青少年这种足球存在的状况是很不满意的是吗？
孙继海：当然不满意，当然我的满意不满意代表不了什么，改变不了什么，这是我作为一个从业人员非常无奈的地方。非常不满意在哪？我问几个问题大家也可以思考一下，有多少孩子他有时间踢球？
颜强：而现在的环境似乎是大不如前了对吧？
孙继海：对，刚才的问题没问完呢，有多少孩子有时间踢，有多少场地给他们踢？是谁带他们踢，教他们踢，这些都是现实的问题。我记得非常清楚，咱俩在英国我跟你下午学驾照的时候，你在屋子里放了一本这么厚的书，《世界足球地图》，这么厚，我印象特别特别的深，这么厚，同学们，这么厚，里边一共有两页是中国。我在英国看到孩子们踢球，俱乐部的场地，公用的场地，伦敦市中心，我上一次咱们就坐飞机去英国的时候，我正经认真的看了一眼，在富勒姆的那个球场，相当于北京二环以内，旁边有一片绿的足球场。
青少年的这个，咱们也聊过这个，真的是青少年。我刚才说了，如果说完全把我的思想灌输给一个一线的球队或者球员很难，我可以比如说把我在英国，就是经历的这么多年所看到的、感受到的东西跟俱乐部交流，让这个俱乐部变得更正规，有一些更多的人文关怀，有一些俱乐部的建设方面的建议，可以去这样做。但是我总感觉不如做一个青训，让更多的孩子教他们如何去踢球来的更重要，对中国足球的帮助更大。
颜强：所以我觉得像你们这样的足球老将还真是联赛宝，因为有你们这样的存在，可能能够把以前，前一拨人，前一拨国脚也好，前一拨世界杯国脚也好，把他们的经历传承，能够往下延续。
孙继海：如果都咱俩的关系，都你这样的看法，我早进国家队了。
颜强：这真是孙继海自己的心声，这真是孙继海自己的心声。但是不管怎么样，我觉得这样踢球的这样快乐，是不是比以前感觉更充分一些？
颜强：谁能够去踢欧洲，或者能踢英超？
孙继海：英超，如果说时机更成熟，有这样一个好的机缘的话，我相信张琳芃应该是具备这样的潜力，但是想把这个潜力变成他的实力，变成他能够站在英超或者欧洲顶级联赛的赛场上，需要一些小的进步，他应该具备这样一个基本的素质。
颜强：OK，这是孙继海对于张林鹏的评价，经过这么一段时长非常长的访谈，我们对于一个职业球员的整个长成的过程已经有了比较多的了解，而且我们也看到了一个孙继海，一个在过去十八年给我们带来了很多欢喜，同时也带来了很多失落的，但是永远不会忘记的一个活生生的足球人。希望孙继海以后能够更多的来到《超级颜论》的节目跟我们交流你未来的一些足球心得，在这里特别感谢各位的到场，也感谢孙继海非常精彩的讲述。这一期我们还会有一个互动话题，题目就是孙继海在曼城时期和他交往最多，他最好的朋友、队友是谁。接下来请大家收看嘉士伯最嘉时刻。