Perhaps, Dong Lu is the most outstanding unlicensed coach in China!

In the same environment, the issues faced by Chinese basketball and football often exhibit strong similarities.

As the first professional men's football league, there are many lessons learned from the trial-and-error process that basketball can benefit from.

Therefore, I have mentioned before that I have always been interested in Dong Lu's football youth training model. Around this time last year, I wrote a separate tweet about him.

Today, I want to take another "detour," hoping to provide some thoughts for those who focus on basketball. This is more valuable than discussing NBA stars' bankruptcies or scandals.

A couple of days ago, the fifth edition of the 2034 Cup primary school football tournament (U12) concluded at the Suzhou Olympic Sports Center,the China Football Youth Team 2013won the championship by defeating the Beijing Dream Team 5-0 under the guidance of professional coach Li Weifeng.

This final featuredchampion group, winner group, challenge group, and honor groupacross four levels, with 120 elite teams advancing through selection, covering 34 provinces, municipalities, autonomous regions, and Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

This event was organized by Dong Lu.

It is a primary school football tournament organized by an unlicensed coach.

I saw a comment from a netizen that was very well-written:

As a child watching "Captain Tsubasa," I would often be mesmerized by the character Tsubasa Ozora on screen, dreaming of playing like him—within that envy lay a deep desire for "our own football stars."

I still vividly remember the days of skipping classes in middle school to play football. On the night China qualified for the World Cup, I felt like I was on fire, unable to sleep, thinking it was the beginning, only to face so much disappointment later.

Watching Chinese football spin in a low point, my enthusiasm slowly cooled down, until Dong Lu and the young football stars appeared on the scene, and the 2034 Cup continued year after year, rekindling that flame.

Five editions of the tournament are like five seeds buried in the ground, sprouting in the hearts of primary school students who love to play football across the country. Today's children are so fortunate; they no longer need to search for idols in cartoons, nor do they have to guess "where their dreams should go" in confusion— the 2034 Cup is their stage, and the partners running alongside them are their role models. When they fall and get back up, the light in their eyes shines as brightly as when we watched Tsubasa Ozora, but with an added sense of reality: this time, it’s our own children chasing their dreams.

It turns out that this day would really come.

Our generation chased after others' stories, and now, we can finally watch our own football stars write their stories on our own land.

I know that for many children playing football in China, the "2034 Cup" is their World Cup.

Especially for children from remote areas like Xinjiang and Tibet, this is even more of an opportunity to see the world...

The children's match had over 10,000 viewers during the live draw; the finals attracted tens of thousands online, with over 10,000 spectators buying tickets to watch in person.

The significant attention on youth training competitions is crucial. You and I in front of the screen must also envy the children standing on this stage.

At this stage of life, being able to participate in such a high-profile, ritualistic, and mission-driven competition... that is a lifelong treasure.

For many children, the 2034 Cup can also be seen as an elementary school graduation ceremony.

A participating child said something very touching:“I want to play professionally, but my mom won’t let me.”

Perhaps, after participating in this year's tournament, he may never have such a grand football stage again...

“The 2034 Cup is our national tournament, our World Cup.”

For this alone, Dong Lu's contribution is immense.

Another of his explorations is the "China Football Youth Team" project.

The core of the project is: to select football talents nationwide, provide free training and competition opportunities, a non-contract elite training model, combined with frequent international competitions for practical experience, to explore new pathways for youth football in China.

Dong Lu advocates enhancing players' practical skills through frequent international confrontations.

He has led teams to compete against youth academies of Barcelona, Real Madrid, and the Saudi national youth team in Spain, Italy, etc., emphasizing that competitive experience is a "valuable asset for Chinese football youth training."

He has led the China Football Youth Team to participate in over 200 international matches, defeating elite youth teams like Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool, River Plate, and drawing against Barcelona.

Isn't this unprecedented in the history of youth training in China?

His "Huangpu First Phase" players have already shown their capabilities. In the 2025 U16 national youth list, seven players came from the "China Football Youth Team," including Kuang Zhaolei, Wan Xiang, and Nan Zixun.

Especially Kuang Zhaolei and Wan Xiang, who have become absolute mainstays of the China U16 team.

Although some children left the Youth Team platform later for personal development reasons, one cannot overlook the fact that they once fought alongside Dong Lu.

Organizing potentially talented players in China to play numerous international matches while they are young, competing against world-class teams—will this path work?

What he is doing now, or the path he is taking, has not been walked by anyone before, leaving no trace, so we cannot judge right or wrong.

This still needs time to be tested, but Dong Lu's approach has indeed brought new explorations and supplements to the development of youth training in China.

If it really works out, could it also be a significant inspiration for basketball? Certainly.

I know that while I praise Dong Lu, there will undoubtedly be those who are dissatisfied with him.

That's okay; you may not like or even hate Dong Lu, but you should respect his attitude towards the sport of football.

With his influence, there are many opportunities to earn money by appearing on variety shows, doing commentary, etc.

However, he genuinely wants to do something for Chinese football from the bottom of his heart; he is a doer. For this alone, he deserves respect.

Finally, I want to say two things:I have seen many of his expressions. Although Dong Lu lacks formal credentials and is not a professional, he has ideas and culture.

The latter is something that Chinese youth training desperately needs.