Wang Yi knew that doing something for Chinese football would take far more than just setting up youth academies.
What mattered was China's selection system.
It needed a thorough reform.
Put plainly, that meant driving the vested interests out of football.
Let people who truly loved football and wanted to work for it rise to the top.
Let them manage the sport.
Instead of letting outsiders lead insiders, or letting people with connections run football.
Only then could Chinese football truly rise.
Of course, every reform would inevitably involve sacrifices.
If they had to smash their heads against a wall, then so be it.
Someone had to take the first step. He would do it!
The breeze in Leganés carried the dry warmth of the Mediterranean as it swept across the training ground, over the running children, and toward the distant land of China.
It brought a glimmer of hope for Chinese football. That glimmer would eventually gather into a prairie fire, lighting the way forward.
Wang Yi, those veteran players who truly loved football, and the children working hard to play in a foreign land were all chasing that light.
They were also the dream-builders of Chinese football.
Their steps were resolute and unwavering. They moved toward that bright future, one step at a time, never looking back or stopping.
After the meeting ended, no one was in a hurry to leave. They returned to the training ground and watched the children practice until sunset.
Fan Zhiyi spent ages talking with Carlos, filling a whole page with notes on fitness training and contact skills for youth development. At the end, he patted Carlos on the shoulder and said they would have to send coaches from China over to learn from him, so he'd have to put in the effort.