Chinese audiences tuned into the Copa América 2021 final on July 11 either on TV or online. The final, once again pitting arch rivals Argentina and Brazil against each other, was a penalty shot into the hearts of football fans. The teams' core members, Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr., respectively, are undoubtedly two of football's biggest international superstars. Their corresponding teams therefore boast big followings in China.
When Argentina beat Brazil 1:0, winning the Copa América 28 years after its last triumph, its Chinese followers rushed to social media to express their congratulations and excitement. In 2008, Argentina's national team won gold in the Olympics, but in the years after suffered a series of setbacks, such as losing the 2014 FIFA World Cup final, and then losing to Chile in the Copa América 2015 and 2016 finals.
The UEFA European Championship would have taken place in 2020, had it not been for the interference of the coronavirus pandemic. The European matches generally attract more attention in China, given the quantity and quality of the teams, as well their commercial value. The last two remaining teams in the championship, finalists England and Italy, rank among the most popular football teams in China, with tens of millions of devoted followers each. Their large legions stem mostly from the two football leagues represented by these two teams being the most influential professional leagues among football lovers in China. The Premier League is widely recognized as the top-notch football league in the world, in terms of its professional and commercial weight. The Italian Lega Calcio Serie A, then, is even more attractive to middle-aged Chinese football fans, as Serie A was introduced to China in 1989, making it the first-ever foreign football league to be broadcast by China's TV channels, when today's middle-aged fans were in their teens. Serie A was in its prime in the 1990s, showcasing some of the world's best footballers of that era.
As always, Chinese businesses were quick to seize up the money-making opportunities presented by the summer's football fever. To the audiences' surprise and joy, during the live broadcast, Chinese brands frequently sprang up on the billboards lining
the pitch. Of the 12 sponsors of the UEFA European Championship, four hailed from China. While in Copa América 2021, three of the four sponsors were Chinese.
The Chinese have always cherished high football hopes and dreams. They never hesitate to tell foreigners that China is the birthplace of football, called cuju in ancient China. In 2002, the China Men's National Football Team, for the first time and thus far the only time, fought its way into the FIFA World Cup. Though knocked out of the competition early on, this still remains a good memory for Chinese football lovers.
In June, the Chinese football team successfully made its way into the top 12 FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifiers in Asia. The Chinese team will try their best to score a chance to enter the actual competition in September.
The biggest football hope of all is that in the summer of 2022, the Chinese will not only be fans of other national teams, but will have the chance to cheer on their own squad.
Joga bonito!
