The World Cup Resonance of Yue Super League Players: Their USA-Canada-Mexico, Our Yue Super

Reporter Wang Wei reports The 2026 USA-Canada-Mexico World Cup is set to open on June 11 local time, featuring 48 teams and more than 100 elite matches, bringing global football enthusiasm to its peak. Football has no borders—from the global attention of world-class venues to the grassroots pitches in Lingnan, a shared passion spans distances. For international football stars, the World Cup represents the ultimate crowning moment of their careers. For young Guangdong players competing in the Yue Super League and the China Champions League, it serves as an early inspiration, a guiding light for growth, and a spiritual source fueling years of dedication to grassroots football and unwavering初心.

This summer is uniquely special for most Yue Super League players—watching the World Cup while playing in the Yue Super League is an experience that may come only once in a lifetime. "Their World Cup, our Yue Super League." This summer, Lingnan will witness the resonance and harmony between the highest and lowest stages of football.

Seven young players—Li Qitao, Li Zihao, Wen Jiadong, Du Wenchang, He Xuanzhang, Dong Jiahuang, and Liang Haoyang—represent Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Zhaoqing teams in the Yue Super League. Similar in age but diverse in growth paths, they have all matured from boys to grassroots players under the influence of the World Cup, embodying a two-way journey between grassroots football and the top tier.

Every player's initial football inspiration almost always stems from the World Cup's震撼启蒙. The 2006 Germany World Cup sparked the football youth of Wen Jiadong, a Shenzhen Yue Super League player. After years of tournaments, the 2022 Qatar World Cup, where Messi fulfilled his dream, became his most moving football memory. "Witnessing Messi carry years of regret and finally reach the world's peak, following Argentina's entire journey deeply moved me and helped me understand the true meaning of perseverance and love for football and life," said Wen Jiadong.

This World Cup sentiment has become Wen Jiadong's spiritual backbone on the Yue Super League field. Fatigue in training, falling behind in matches, and setbacks are all part of football. Whenever he feels like giving up, he remembers the all-out efforts of World Cup stars. The World Cup has also completely reshaped his competitive attitude. "My training used to be rough, but after seeing Modric cover the entire pitch at an advanced age and Messi's every touch being precise and extreme, I fully realized that the gap in top-level football lies in details. Now, in Yue Super League matches, I demand focused and meticulous training from myself, whether in good or bad times, sticking to the last second and never giving up easily," Wen Jiadong told the reporter.

▲Wen Jiadong, a Shenzhen Yue Super League player, has shin guards full of World Cup elements and idol sentiment.

Compared to Wen Jiadong's story with the World Cup, the World Cup youth of 18-year-old Li Qitao is more about少年热血 and empathy with disappointment. As a player for both the Guangzhou Yue Super League team and the Guangzhou Zhicheng China Champions League team, his football vision was opened during the 2018 Russia World Cup. "In 2022, when Portugal's Ronaldo came off the bench to fight for his team and then shed tears of regret after the match, that image was deeply etched in my heart, making me understand football's struggle, regret, and perseverance at a young age," Li Qitao told the reporter.

The World Cup is a guiding light for Li Qitao's football path. Now playing in the Yue Super League and China Champions League, he approaches every game with a serious and meticulous attitude. In his view, there is no hierarchy in football; matches are purely about the pursuit of victory. "This purity drives me to give my all against any opponent or schedule," Li Qitao said.

▲Li Qitao of Guangzhou team

Li Zihao, a 20-year-old freshman at the Guangzhou Sport University Football Academy, is a member of the Guangzhou Yue Super League team and also plays for the Guangzhou Zhicheng China Champions League team. His love for football is simple and pure. In 2013, he found joy in playing football and has been connected to it ever since. The 2014 Brazil World Cup made him truly fall in love with the sport. As a left-footed player, Li Zihao has always regarded Messi as a technical benchmark, imitating his moves and on-field thinking. "The 2022 World Cup final, where Argentina defeated France in a penalty shootout and Messi finally realized his dream, is the most perfect football memory of my youth," Li Zihao said.

The spirit of national pride and never-giving-up displayed by World Cup players has become Li Zihao's motivation to balance academics and football training. On the field, the competitive spirit of fighting for every ball and persevering in adversity constantly inspires him to steadily grow and improve in the Yue Super League and China Champions League. In his eyes, representing Guangzhou in the Yue Super League carries extra meaning: "The Yue Super League has a strong grassroots fan atmosphere, which helps players gain exposure and stabilize their on-field mentality. For me, watching the World Cup while playing the Yue Super League is a rare opportunity for dual improvement," Li Zihao said.

▲Li Zihao of Guangzhou team

Du Wenchang, a player for the Zhaoqing Yue Super League team, traces his World Cup passion back to the tiki-taka football of the 2010 South Africa World Cup. The smooth, intricate team passing and coordinated play of peak Spain deeply impressed him as a teenager, leading him to favor a style that emphasizes collective teamwork. Over years of watching the World Cup, Messi's journey from losing the 2014 final with regret to overcoming lows and finally triumphing in 2022 taught Du Wenchang football's most valuable essence—perseverance and patience.

Du Wenchang gradually realized that football is about more than just winning or losing. Scenes of players fighting through injuries, turning the tide against all odds, and holding on in adversity during the World Cup have repeatedly "healed" his training fatigue and on-field disappointments, keeping his pure初心 for the game alive. The professional attitude on the top stage has also transformed his training methods. "After watching the World Cup, I understood the importance of honing basic skills. Basic training can be boring and repetitive, but if you practice it 10,000 times, your level will definitely improve. Moreover, during matches, I can stay calm when behind and focused when ahead, concentrating on every pass and defensive action," he said.

▲Messi's World Cup story has inspired countless Yue Super League footballers

He Xuanzhang, another Zhaoqing Yue Super League player, found his World Cup inspiration during the 2014 Brazil World Cup. In that star-studded tournament, Messi led his team to the final but lost, his lonely figure staring at the trophy deeply moved the young He. Meanwhile, Klose's record-breaking goals and James Rodriguez's breakout performances made him fall completely in love with the World Cup's charm, leading him to follow every edition since.

"The hardships of training and travel, the regret of match losses, and the confusion on the path to dreams often make me want to slack off, but the classic stories of the World Cup always help me rediscover the meaning of perseverance," He Xuanzhang told the reporter. "After watching the World Cup, my mindset has become calmer and tougher. I train more diligently, adjust calmly when facing adversity in matches, quickly review and grow from setbacks, and through repeated沉淀, shed my immaturity to become more steady and mature."

▲Zhaoqing team

Dong Jiahuang, a Zhaoqing Yue Super League player, also had his football path lit by the World Cup. As a child, he studied at Houleyuan Street Primary School in Haizhu District, Guangzhou, where he met his football mentor, Uncle Wen. Watching matches on TV as a teenager deeply instilled in him the intrinsic meaning of fighting on the pitch. The iconic 2018 World Cup moment when Ronaldo single-handedly equalized against Spain became his most profound football belief. "From student life to entering society, through years of football dreams—injuries, fatigue, life's琐碎, boring training—many times I wanted to quit. But the stories of World Cup stars striving always rekindle my passion and keep me running," Dong Jiahuang told the reporter.

Liang Haoyang, a 20-year-old player for Guangzhou Zhicheng, is a freshman at Guangdong University of Technology. He is currently in Yingde, Guangdong, representing his team in the China Champions League regional qualifiers, fighting alongside Li Qitao and Li Zihao as teammates for Guangzhou Zhicheng.

Liang Haoyang started following the World Cup in 2014. "The most memorable were the 2014 and 2018 World Cup finals—I stayed up late with excitement and drowsiness to watch. Since childhood, I've idolized Messi, and seeing him go from the peak of defeat to later achieving glory taught me many lessons," Liang Haoyang said. "The World Cup is football's highest honor. It constantly motivates me in life, making me value every chance to play. Now, playing in the China Champions League and Yue Super League, these are my personal World Cup, and I will give my all."

▲Liang Haoyang

Over two decades of World Cups, from 2006 to 2026, seven young men from southern Guangdong have transformed from star-gazing spectators into dream chasers on local grassroots pitches.

During the World Cup period, these Guangdong local players also shared their ideas on how the Yue Super League can break through and interact with the World Cup. Wen Jiadong hopes to create World Cup-themed viewing days, setting up large screens in vacant areas of Yue Super League home grounds so fans can simultaneously enjoy the dual charm of Yue Super League matches and world-class tournaments. Li Zihao and He Xuanzhang suggest launching World Cup-themed interactive events, quizzes, and fun activities to boost grassroots football atmosphere with全民热度. Du Wenchao proposes online and offline联动 promotion, leveraging commercial and cultural tourism resources for offline viewing interactions, and using short-video platforms to parallel World Cup iconic moments with Yue Super League highlights. Dong Jiahuang and Li Qitao recommend organizing themed specials and inviting international football legends to interact with the Yue Super League at appropriate times. In short, Yue Super League players all hope this summer's World Cup will spark synergy and more interaction with the Yue Super League.