China’s ‘Lady Messi’ crowned Asian women’s player of year, but says award is ‘just the beginning’
Wang Shuang has set her sights on landing silverware for club and country after being crowned Asia’s female player of the year.
The Team China and Paris Saint-Germain midfield maestro was presented with the prize at the Asian Football Confederation Annual Awards on Nov 28 after fending off competition from Japan’s Saki Kumagai and Australian Samantha Kerr.
Wang becomes the fourth Chinese to claim the honor after Sun Wen (1999) and Bai Jie (2003) and Ma Xiaoxu (2006).
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China’s Wang Shuang poses for the cameras after being named the Asian Football Confederation’s women’s player of the year in the Omani capital, Muscat, on Nov 28. Xinhua |
But having earned individual recognition, the 23-year-old Wuhan native now wants to get her hands on some team trophies.
“It already meant a lot to be nominated,” Wang said in English during her acceptance speech at the awards ceremony in Muscat, Oman. “Thanks to the CFA (Chinese Football Association) and my national team for their support to allow me to dream big.
“May this award inspire my team and myself to do better in the women’s World Cup next year. This is just a beginning.”
Netting four times, Wang helped China finish third at the 2018 AFC Women’s Asian Cup in April to earn qualification for next year’s World Cup finals in France.
The prolific scorer and playmaker again proved pivotal, with a six-goal haul, at this summer’s Asian Games, where the Steel Roses lost 1-0 to Japan in the final.
Wang’s impressive international form earned her a two-year contract in August with French giant PSG, where she has since flourished, racking up four goals and four assists in 12 games.
“Of course, this has been a year of great results,” said Wang, who also represented China at the 2015 World Cup and 2016 Rio Olympics. “But personally I do feel some regret that we were not able to do better at the Asian Games.
“This is a fresh start for me playing in Europe. I feel that this award will help me succeed at the highest level.”
Wang admits that being the only Chinese player, male or female, to play with a major European club has brought added pressure.
“I understand the fans’ expectation to see a Chinese player succeed overseas, which brings some pressure, so I try to stay relaxed and not push myself too hard whenever possible,” she said in a recent podcast interview with China’s Olympic sailing champion Xu Lijia.
On and off the pitch, though, Wang’s settling in just fine to life in the French capital, filling her downtime with gym workouts, language classes, hanging out on the Champs Elysee and sampling the local cuisine.
“Technically, I don’t see much difference in the training here (in Paris) and at home,” Wang told Xu, a gold medalist in the women’s Laser Radial class at the 2012 London Olympics.
“But physically I have to do some extra work to become stronger and faster so I get the best from my body in games.”
The glamor of PSG is a world away from the poorly funded women’s league in China, where players earn only around 5,000 yuan ($720) a month.
Recalling her days in the domestic game during the podcast, Wang revealed she had to wash her own uniform and cleats after every training session and game.
“The award was a great payback for her hard work and an encouragement for the dedication of all women’s players in our country,” China’s national women’s team coach Jia Xiuquan says of Wang’s achievement.
“She is still quite young and I believe there remains a lot of untapped potential for her to improve and become a real international star.”
Wang’s silky skills have earned her the nickname “Lady Messi”, but she confessed that her idol in the sport is the Barcelona superstar’s big rival, Cristiano Ronaldo.
“His work ethic and the high demands he places on himself to be professional on the field and in life inspire me to always try to become better,” said Wang.
Meanwhile, China walked away with two other awards at the AFC ceremony. The CFA was given the President Recognition Award for Grassroots Football together with the Palestinian and Singapore associations, while Chinese official Zhang Jilong, a former AFC vice-president, was presented with the Diamond of Asia award for his service to the confederation.
(China Daily European Weekly 12/07/2018 page21)