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Because of his handsome appearance, An Yongjia has been called “China Hongkong Cristiano Ronaldo” by fans since last summer’s East Asia Cup.
In recent years, An Yongjia’s ability has been recognized by more and more people. In the just-concluded League A in 2023, he played for the Goha team in Guangxi, and scored 15 goals to set a record for China and Hong Kong players in the mainland league.
An Yongjia (right) played in Hangzhou Asian Games.
In addition, A month ago, An Yongjia also helped the China Hong Kong team to win the fourth place in the Asian Games in Hangzhou …
On this occasion, The Paper reporter interviewed An Yongjia, and he gave his own opinion on the rise of Hong Kong football in China. “Our generation of players really want results, and they train hard every day to keep hungry.”
An Yongjia has previously become the top scorer in the team history of Guohaa, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
The most unforgettable support from the fans at the scene.
At the Asian Games a month ago, the China-Hongkong team finally reached the semi-finals without being optimistic. An Yongjia told The Paper that the whole team did not expect to achieve such good results.
“Because other teams retired, we directly advanced to the knockout stage. Of course, we played well in the group stage and Uzbekistan, and both lost a goal. You know Uzbekistan is one of the best teams in Asia.”
In the knockout stage, An Yongjia scored the only goal in the game against Palestine. Later, in the face of the powerful Iranian team, he sent an assist to help Pan Peixuan score the only goal in the game.
An Yongjia took a group photo with volunteers of Hangzhou Asian Games.
“The most impressive game was winning Iran. Before the game, many people said that we had no chance, but we believed in our ability and knew that if we defended well and had a good attitude, we would have a chance to win the game.”
“A strong team may lose to a weak team. If you believe that some things have no limit, then it will really be achieved. This is a historic moment for China and Hong Kong football. “
An Yongjia also revealed that in the locker room, many players cried after the game. “Our family members also shed tears of joy. To be honest, this is also the greatest achievement of my career so far. At this moment, my mood is hard to describe. “
In addition to this game, An Yongjia also told The Paper that the fans were the ones who impressed the most during the Asian Games.
“They really helped us a lot, and all the fans supported our team. Sometimes when the court is very difficult, they sing loudly and cheer, which gives us great motivation. “
An Yongjia took a group photo with Guangxi fans.
Stay hungry
After finishing fourth in the Asian Games, China Hong Kong team defeated Bhutan in two rounds in the first qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup qualifier, and successfully advanced to the top 36.
However, for the China-Hong Kong team, the reality of being in a group with Iran, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan is bound to be difficult to go further.
“This group is very difficult, but the experience of the Asian Games tells everyone that anything can happen in a football match.”
Can the preliminaries create another miracle? An Yongjia is still very cautious. “Our goal is to play one game at a time, and we won’t think so far.”
Regardless of the results of the preliminaries, the progress of the China-Hongkong team in the last two years is obvious. An Yongjia called his teammates “the best generation”.
“I think it’s because every player has good willpower and spirit and wants to get good results very much. Our generation of players train hard every day, want to make progress, and everyone is hungry. These are different from before. “
An Yongjia (left) is called “Hong Kong C Ronaldo”.
As An Yongjia said, at present, this group of players in China and Hong Kong have a good age structure. Take the players who play in the Chinese Super League as an example:
Forward An Yongjia was born in 1997, two central defenders Liang Nuoheng and Laurence were born in 1994 and 1995 respectively, and full-back Ru Zinan was born in 1998. The age of playing and the experience of league matches have made the China-Hongkong team improve rapidly.
“I hope more China and Hong Kong players will play in the Chinese Super League.” An Yongjia took his own experience as an example. “After I came back from the United States, I signed a contract with Jiezhi. The goal was to play well in Jiezhi and China, so that I could play in the mainland and continue to improve myself. Finally, I got the opportunity in the second half of last year.”
“There are some gaps in the quantity and quality of the Hong Kong League teams compared with the mainland. You must improve yourself if you want to continue to improve.”
Compared with other defensive players who play in the Super League, An Yongjia, who plays forward, still plays for the Chinese team, but his report card of 15 goals this season is excellent enough to win a place in the Super League team with his ability. It should not be difficult.
An Yongjia also told the The Paper reporter, “I hope to have the opportunity to play in the Super League later, which is also my goal.”
An Yongjia served as Steven Gerrard’s caddy.
I want to see what height I can reach
In the era of social media, An Yongjia suddenly became popular-as the top striker of China and Hong Kong, he was named “China and Hong Kong Cristiano Ronaldo” by fans during the East Asia Cup last year.
An Yongjia said that he knew what the outside world called him. “But this is just someone else’s idea. I don’t think much myself. Because as a player, it doesn’t matter what others say, what matters is your performance on the court. “
He has his own idol-Liverpool meritorious captain Steven Gerrard. “I liked Liverpool when I was very young, and Gerrard was the captain at that time.”
In 2006, Liverpool came to China and Hong Kong. An Yongjia, who was less than 10 years old, was lucky to get the chance to enter the stadium hand in hand with his idol. This dream came true, which made him determined to continue on the football road.
According to public information, An Yongjia was born in Hongkong, China and has New Zealand ancestry. From 2015 to 2019, An Yongjia went to North America to study, and played in campus leagues at the University of San Francisco and Syracuse University.
He has a good level of Mandarin, and he will express himself in Mandarin when he is interviewed inside and outside the stadium. Of course, sometimes he will mix a few English words to express his meaning more accurately.
And a noteworthy detail is that every time he talks about playing for the China-Hongkong team, he always describes it as “the team” very accurately.
“I think the sports system in American universities is very good, and you must study well, because everyone knows that not everyone can be a football player, so learning is very important.” For this experience, An Yongjia thinks it helps him a lot.
“The university league is very difficult to play. Everyone wants to be a professional player. If you perform well, you will have the opportunity to go to the professional league. You may think that the level of American football is not very high, but it is not like this. “
After Xia Chuang came to League A last year, An Yongjia was recognized by the industry with nearly 20 goals in one and a half seasons. “I have my own goals and what I want to get. I want to make progress every day, want to go to a higher level league, and want to create better results with the China Hong Kong team.”
For the future, An Yongjia said that he didn’t want to set any ceiling for himself. “Do a good job every day and see where he will go in the end. Now it is down-to-earth progress and enjoying football. I believe that my future will get better and better. “
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Confucius Kong Zhong Ni [Netease Beijing Netizen]
Yesterday at 13:19
I think Hong Kong football is a sport full of competition and challenges. However, in the process of pursuing victory, we also need to remain humble and open-minded.
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