World Cup in my heart: precious soccer ball and memory

 

 

Name: He Yukun Age: 59 Occupation: Senior Engineer

The photo shows He Yukun holding the Soccer Ball he has been playing with for many years. To this soccer ball fan, World Cup means a precious memory connected with his youth.

In late 70s, the television is not yet popular in China. He Yukun, together with his colleagues in Shijingshan Power Plant, used to cram into the 50-square-meter room, and wait to watch soccer ball matches in front of a wooden cabinet where a small black-and-white TV stood.

"I lived in my workplace from the age 18 years old to 28 years old. It's the best time in my memory," He Yukun recalls. "My colleagues and I are crazy about the soccer ball games. We used to play on the bare land after work until the light failed."

The 1982 World Cup impressed He Yukun the most. In Spain, Italy met West Germany in the final. His favorite team Italy won the world champion for the third time till then. He Yukun thought highly of Italy because it's a team with both technical skills and strategic tactics.

Another reason why 1982 was memorable is China's national team let slip a golden opportunity in the qualifying competition to reach the final.

"There were lots of great players in China national team at that time. Rong Zhihang, Chi Shangbin and Gu Guangming are all heroes," says He. "If they had qualified for the 1982 World Cup, we would see a great leap in China's overall capability today."

In his early age, He's family was not rich enough to buy his a soccer ball or a ticket of game shows. However, his enthusiasm for soccer ball and other sports has never been stopped.

The authors are postgraduate students from the School of Journalism and Communication, Tsinghua University.