2025-01-13, 08:52 AM - Word count:
The second Chinese player to ever win the SSL Major Division Title (behind the great Liang Kuai), Wang Zhihao came home for a short off season to much fanfare in his hometown. Already an idol for youth players across the city, it’s not uncommon to see children running around in hoops of black and white Schwarzwälder kits here on the Chinese coast. Now with a Major title to his name, the demand around the streets of Qingdao to see their hero was at an all time high. Despite only having a few weeks off before having to prep for the WSFC with team Asia, Zhihao agreed to do a public event in his honor. The occasion was a pair of matches between the top U16, and U12 youth soccer teams in the city. Held at the Qingdao Qingchun Zuqiuchang, fans from all over the city and nearby towns flocked out to the stadium on a warm summer day. Before the matches, Zhihao gave a speech to the well-attended crowd, culminating in a chanting of his name that lasted well over a minute. Of course, he personally said hello and shook the hands of all the youth players for the exhibition games, helping to make it the most memorable day possible for those rising stars. Finally, his afternoon was complete by not only signing a few thousand autographs for fans lined up down the street, but even posing for pictures with some next to the SSL Trophy, all the way in Qingdao, China.
