Zhao Yuhao, captain of Yunnan Yukun: Finally carried the banner in my heart

Reporter Lu Mi reports "That year, a 20-year-old boy told me that his dream was to play side by side with his hometown team and rush to the Chinese Super League. At that time, there was no team in our hometown that could make it to the top of the team, but the seed of this dream was planted in our hearts. This year, the thirty-year-old man fulfilled his dream, and that seed finally bore fruit. The moment Zhao Yuhao lifted the championship trophy of the Chinese League, his wife wrote such a monologue in the circle of friends.

After wandering abroad for many years, returning to fulfill the wish he made ten years ago, no one understands the value of this trophy better than Zhao Yuhao, and the significance of carrying the banner of Yunnan football. The boy who used to be finally led his hometown team to "Dian Peak".

◆Football: On the night of the team's success, there was a simple celebration at home, and you stood in the middle of the pitch as the team representative to speak, how did you feel at that time?

Zhao Yuhao: Very excited and excited. The club told me before that I was ready to speak in the middle of the pitch. Actually, I didn't prepare a speech, and I didn't think I needed to. I have too many words to express in my heart about the expectations of Yunnan football and the efforts of our team this year. My wife and children were in the stands that day, and she was in tears, and she was very happy that they could witness this day with me.

◆What is the image that comes to your mind at that time?

In fact, for most of the season, I thought it was a matter of course. And when this innocence came, I felt a little unreal. There are many images of my own experience over the years, from leaving to returning, and accomplishing a great thing with a group of brothers.

◆Looking back on the whole season, how do you assess the team's progress to the top and even the championship?

Overall, it was relatively stable. At the beginning, I felt that there were a lot of challenges, including the run-in problems caused by the reshuffling of personnel, we were playing in the first league for the first time, and we were not familiar with other teams, so it was a bit difficult at the beginning. But slowly we touched all the opponents and felt that our strength had an advantage, and then we really settled down.

◆Since you returned to Yunnan, have you ever thought that Chongchao would come so soon? What is your determination towards this goal?

In fact, for me, Zhongjia is a little unfamiliar, and I am about to surpass as soon as I come back, and I am not so confident in my heart, because I don't know if the team has this ability. But for myself, I've done a lot of preparation to give everything for this team and get to the top of the table. As a captain, I lead by example and try to do my best in training and in competitions. In a crucial game, I had to play with an injury and lead my teammates to fight until the last minute. I know that only by doing a good job can I twist everyone into a rope.

◆Yukun is a young club, and everyone is curious, how did you manage to complete successive promotions in such a short period of time?

The first is that the club is stable. Investors have provided us with great support, and departments at all levels in Yunnan and cities have also provided us with great help. Our players, including the staff, are also dedicated to the club, training hard every day and doing our best to achieve the goals on the field.

◆As captain, do you think your season is perfect? How do you feel when you see the excited fans after your victory?

I think this season has been perfect. Of course, the fans are our motivation, and before I came back, I didn't expect the fans to touch me so much. As soon as I started warming up before the game, I could hear the fans cheering in their native dialect, and every time I heard them speak in dialect, I felt like "this is home". When we win, they celebrate passionately, and when we don't play well, they always stand behind us, they are our source of strength.

◆Football: What does it mean to you to win a championship for the first time in your career and the first time to represent a team?

Zhao Yuhao: If the total career rating is 10 points, I think Chong Chao can score 8 points. When I was a child, I had a lot of dreams, and I had goals at each stage, and I wasn't mature enough to think and experience them in the process of achieving them. At this age, I realized what I wanted. I want to bring Yunnan football back to China's top professional league, and now that it's done, the value and honor are incomparable. I've been through a lot in my career, but who would have thought this would be my first trophy? The moment I held the trophy in my hand, I really felt its weight, which is not only a trophy, but also the glory and hope of all Yunnan football people.

◆Have you had a lot of career, the first time you overtook it, and it was more exciting, or was it more stressful?

What excites me is that this is also a challenge for myself, after all, I have never played in the middle league, it is a new experience. There is also pressure, because when I return to my hometown team, I want my hometown fans to see me, see that I am the person who can carry the banner of Yunnan football, and see that I can represent Yunnan football and lead this team to the top. This goal has allowed me to pour all my strength into it, both for the past year and for the years to come.

◆What is the feeling of Yukun this club for you?

Nowadays, it is rare to find a private club that is stable and does not owe wages, so it is not easy for our club to do so. When I came back here this year, it was my hometown that opened its arms to me, and I used my sweat and dedication to help the team complete the breakthrough and help Yunnan football return to the top. I feel like the club and I are a mutual achievement. In the future, I hope we can gain a firm foothold in the Super League and reflect more of our value.

◆After a year of running-in, what do you think of this team?

Our team is very dedicated, many of our teammates have played in the league at a higher level, and they all take the league as a professional player, so it is easy for everyone to form a tacit understanding. Our coach Anderson has a lot of experience and the style of play he has developed for us is very advanced.

◆What was your reaction when you learned that Anderson had taken over the team?

In fact, at the beginning, I didn't know Coach Anderson, but later a friend told me that I had met Anderson for a long time, and it was during the East Asian semi-finals. I went to watch the video, and that was my second time in the national team, when Anderson was leading North Korea, and I played the whole game. Later recalled, the way he played with North Korea at that time was the same as now, very aggressive. After he came, we communicated a lot, and he hoped that I could do a good job as a captain and communicate with him if I had any ideas.

◆Football: You were very young when Hongta quit, do you remember how you felt at that time?

Zhao Yuhao: There is a Hongta base in Kunming, where the Hongta team trained when I was a child. That year, Real Madrid came to China to play, and the whole city was lively because of football, and the Hongta base was crowded with people. Then the team was suddenly gone, and I was just sensible at that time, and every time I went to that base, I was very disappointed, compared to the previous crowd of people, only yellowed turf and withered plants, very desolate. After a long time, it seems that people are used to the days when there is no high-level professional football in Yunnan.

◆What was the feeling when Au Chuliang handed you the jersey at the championship celebration that day?

As a kid, he used to watch Coach Au play on TV, and he was a great player and coach. To be honest, it was my first face-to-face interaction with him that day, and I didn't expect it to be on such a special occasion. He handed me the jersey that symbolized the inheritance and told me that he hoped that I could play well in the Chinese Super League on behalf of Yunnan football. At that moment, I felt the weight of this jersey.

◆In fact, Yunnan football has not appeared a banner figure for a long time, after this banner is handed over to you, what do you think is your biggest mission?

Over the years, I have grown from a young player to a husband and a father, and now I have carried the banner of Yunnan football, and I feel that the burden on my shoulders is getting heavier and heavier. I think it's a boy's path to maturity. No one will be sheltering you all the time, everyone has their own mission and responsibilities. From the moment I took over the banner, I started more with the details and helped everyone in the team, whether it was a young local player or a new signing.

◆What is the style of Yunnan football in your impression?

We train daily on the plateau, and compared with training on the plains, we train much more intensively and have an advantage in physical fitness. Secondly, Yunnan football has a fighting spirit of sparing no effort to run and fighting hard, and no one who comes to our home stadium can easily take away the points. Our excellent home results for two seasons in a row are proof of that.

◆Yunnan has also had professional teams over the years, and what is the main reason why Yukun can finally succeed?

There have been many professional teams in Yunnan over the years, but none of them have been able to survive in the end. There are many reasons for this, and I always feel that it is a pity. Our Yukun is built on the basis of solid investment by investors, and there is also the support of relevant departments behind it. From the middle crown to the middle league, we have come to this day step by step along the way.

There are many people who play football in Yunnan, and the amateur league is also developing well, but no high-level professional team will have a knock-on effect on the football ecology of Yunnan. For example, I went out at a very young age, and now many parents see that their children have no future in football, so they don't cultivate them. So I have always had a wish in my heart, which is to set an example for these children in Yunnan who like to play football, so that they can really go to the road of professional football and write a new chapter for Yunnan football.

◆Now are you starting to dream about next season's Chinese Super League? You've had Super League experience as well, what do you want to bring to the team?

At the end of the season I was actually playing with an injury and now I'm in the recovery phase to get my body ready before winter training starts. I want the whole team to be well prepared for winter training because it's about running the whole season. I'm looking forward to next year's Super League, and many friends want to catch up with me again. I will also share my Super League experience with my team-mates more.

◆What are your goals for next year?

Our goal is definitely to establish ourselves in the Super League. There are too many short-lived teams in recent years, and I hope that the team can survive in the Super League for a long time and healthily. On the road to relegation, I hope not to struggle too much.