The Chinese women's football team has had joy and tears. The 2023 World Cup is worth looking forward to - talk to legendary star Sun Wen

Xinhua News Agency, Canberra, July 18: China's women's football team has had joy and tears. The 2023 World Cup is worth looking forward to - dialogue with legendary star Sun Wen

Xinhua News Agency reporter Yue Dongxing

The 2023 Women's World Cup is about to usher in the first anniversary of the countdown. Sun Wen, who was invited to attend the online meeting of FIFA legendary players, said on the 18th that the ever-changing European football will make the World Cup next year worth looking forward to in terms of viewing and technical and tactical trends. At the same time, the Chinese women's football team, who will be on the stage for the eighth time, believes that it will perform well through the efforts of the team.

As a legendary football star of the Chinese women's football team, Sun Wen led the Chinese team to the final of the 1999 World Cup as captain and won the Golden Ball Award and Golden Boot Award of that World Cup.

On the 18th, at a video conference, Sun Wen said that she was looking forward to China's women's football team as an Asian champion in the World Cup from the bottom of her heart, because this is the eighth time that China's women's football team has participated in the World Cup. "8" is a good number in China, and she hopes they can perform well.

"In the past two years, it should be said that the Chinese women's football team has also experienced ups and downs, with the joy of victory and tears of failure. For them, football matches are always a process of growth. I hope they can perform better in the World Cup next year." Sun Wen said.

In response to questions from Xinhua News Agency reporters, Sun Wen said that as a member of the technical expert group of FIFA, she has analyzed the last World Cup and has always been concerned about the development of world football in recent years. The recent European Women's Football Championship has given her a great feeling that the level of European women's football is changing with each passing day. Without noticing, she felt that there were several teams coming, and some players came out. "This shock or sense of urgency is still very strong for me."

Sun Wen said that the World Cup next year is expected to present a variety of genres. For example, the women's football teams in the United States and Canada highlight self-confidence and strong offensive and defensive ability. Europe pays attention to the whole. The characteristics of Spain's passing and receiving, the speed and strength of France, and the overall strong performance of Germany and some Nordic teams will make the World Cup worth looking forward to.

"The World Cup next year is a very big challenge for Asian teams. I believe that the football match is 90 minutes after all, and it can also bring surprises to everyone through your own efforts, team cooperation, including the adjustment and improvement of the players." She said.

When talking about the Chinese women's football team, Sun Wen said that in the past two years, with the growth of age, many players have become more mature psychologically, and such a combination of the old, the young and the middle-aged may bring some changes to the team.

"This kind of psychological growth and resilience may be a very critical performance factor for a team," she said.

"As for the overall and technical level, it is important to see the performance of our entire team. I think that with a united team and the joint efforts of everyone, the performance of the Chinese women's football team should not be poor."

Looking back on the experience of the World Cup in the player era, Sun Wen said that for a player, each World Cup has some unique experience.

"I participated in the first World Cup when I was 18 years old. As a young player at that time, I felt that the game under tension and pressure was also very unforgettable," she said.

"As we grow older, from 1995 to 1999, each World Cup will bring us different experiences."

The 2023 Women's World Cup is the first time that the tournament has expanded to 32 teams, and is jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand. According to the schedule, the opening battle will be held in Auckland on July 20, and the final will be held in Sydney on August 20.