Bunyamín & Zhang Hongfu: Evergrande Football School's Twin Stars, "Taking Off Steadily" in Their Debut CSL Season

Reported by Wang Wei. In the 2023 U15 East Asian Cup, the national youth team beat Japan in a penalty shootout to claim the championship. Eleven players from Evergrande were on that team. Today, six of those eleven are competing in the CSL, with the spotlight on Bunyamín of Yunnan Yukun and Zhang Hongfu of Liaoning Tieren. Both teenagers are steadily advancing in the CSL with their love for the game.

The Tajimeilan Food Restaurant is located in Guangzhou Jiahe City on Zhanqian Road near Guangzhou Railway Station. Bunyamín visits here every holiday. This Xinjiang restaurant is co-owned by his father, Salamu, and a friend. Earlier this year, it was here that the Yukun team made the decision to bring in Bunyamín.

Salamu used to be a footballer himself, but later suffered a ligament tear and stopped playing. Besides running the restaurant, he also worked as a fitness coach.

On the evening of July 31, Salamu, who had just returned from a workout, spoke with the reporter in his restaurant about the details of Bunyamín's transfer to Yukun. He expressed gratitude to Yukun Club for their insight and recognition, and even more so to the Evergrande Football School for years of training.

To bring in Bunyamín, the investor of Yukun Club personally stepped in, which deeply moved Bunyamín's family. Moreover, the club actively coordinated with Evergrande Football School, efficiently advancing communication throughout the process. This not only protected the training rights of the youth academy but also allowed the young player to complete the transfer smoothly and shine on the CSL stage.

After joining Yukun, Bunyamín quickly integrated into the team, building good relationships with the coach and teammates. Yukun's head coach, Jordi, also paid close attention to Bunyamín and gave him many opportunities.

In half a year since joining Yukun, Bunyamín has made 12 CSL appearances for the team, starting in four of them, with a total playing time of 407 minutes, and has contributed 3 goals and 2 assists. In addition, he also had an assist in the FA Cup. For an 18-year-old who has just stepped onto the top-flight stage, these statistics are highly impressive. Especially in the past month, Bunyamín has been in excellent form, scoring consecutively against Henan, Shanghai Port, and Shenzhen Peng City, and also providing assists against Shenzhen Peng City and Tianjin Jinmen Tiger.

After defeating Shenzhen Peng City, Bunyamín stated that his season goal is to score 5 or 6 goals.

Salamu often calls Bunyamín, urging his son to always be grateful and move forward with humility. "I often tell the child, you are still very young. Your current performance would not be possible without the support and encouragement of every coach and teammate. In the team, be low-key, down-to-earth, and eager to learn. Be grateful for the coach's guidance, teammates' help, and the club's trust. Treat every appearance as an opportunity to learn and improve."

Bunyamín has done the same. In a local media interview, when asked about his "rapid growth," he said, "It's all thanks to the team's help—the head coach, and our club owner, they are all helping me. In life, they treat me very well. If I have any shortcomings, they guide me."

Bunyamín wears the number 39 jersey at Yukun, which was also the earliest number of Wang Yudong when Jordi previously coached Zhejiang Team. The outside world expects Bunyamín to replicate Wang Yudong's growth trajectory. But Jordi said, "No need to copy Wang Yudong; just be Bunyamín himself."

This remark was made by Jordi face-to-face when Salamu went to Yuxi to visit his son. This message deeply touched both Bunyamín and his father. By insisting on his own style and walking his own path, under Jordi's tailored guidance, Bunyamín has become more confident.

In the match against Shenzhen Peng City, Bunyamín, at 18 years and 108 days old, became the youngest player to both score and assist in a single CSL game, breaking the record set by Wang Yudong on August 10, 2025, against Beijing Guoan, when Wang was 18 years and 260 days old.

Nakamura Masaaki, who once coached Bunyamín, said in an interview with our newspaper three years ago that Bunyamín bears a resemblance to Kaoru Mitoma and has a promising future. "He has both ability and physicality. If he further hones his individual technique and dribbling skills, he could become a player like Mitoma in the future." At that time, Bunyamín said he admired Mitoma's technique and that "to reach Mitoma's level, I have to work harder than others in training." Now, Bunyamín is beginning to make a name for himself in the CSL.

Progress on the field is inseparable from family encouragement. After the match against Shenzhen Peng City, Bunyamín immediately called his father, thanking him for years of companionship and encouragement: "With your support, I have the opportunities and achievements I have now." Hearing these words, Salamu felt warm inside.

Salamu always stays clear-headed, urging his son to guard against arrogance and impatience and to move forward steadily. "This is only a good start. The road ahead is long. You must be down-to-earth and low-key, work hard seriously, seek advice from coaches, learn from teammates, and follow the example of senior club members. Steadily improve yourself and strive for greater progress."

To better accompany his child's growth and help him focus on competing in the CSL, Salamu plans to visit Yuxi again soon to see his son.

Zhang Hongfu, an 18-year-old center-back, moved from Evergrande Football School to Tieren at the start of the season, completing an important leap from youth training to professionalism. As of the 21st round of the CSL, he has made four CSL appearances for Tieren, starting in three of them.

From ten years of sharpening his skills at Evergrande Football School to stepping onto the CSL stage in the Tieren jersey, Zhang Hongfu has gradually shed his immaturity. Talking about her child's transformation, Zhang Hongfu's mother wrote the following: "Ten years at the football school honing his craft. When he was young, he played with youthful vigor and relied on his physical talent to charge forward. Now, wearing the professional team's jersey, he understands the entire defensive line behind him as a center-back, learning to control impulses, read the game, and take responsibility. He is no longer restless in the face of victory or defeat; he is not arrogant in good times nor discouraged in bad times. This composure is the most precious transformation given to him by the professional arena."

Zhang Hongfu is always grateful for the training at Evergrande Football School and especially cherishes the opportunity given by Tieren.

At the start of the season, Zhang Hongfu suffered a knee injury and reported to the team a few months late. During the recovery period, he was very anxious, worried that he would not be able to keep up with the team's training pace. His mother repeatedly comforted him: "Sharpening the axe won't delay the woodcutting. With such a good coaching staff and so many excellent teammates, as long as you work hard, you will definitely improve."

On July 4, in Tieren's match against Tongliang Long, Zhang Hongfu started and played the full 90 minutes, making his CSL debut. After the match, he and his mother reviewed his performance, including every positioning, clearance, and covering defense. He sincerely thanked Xu Zhengyuan for the opportunity and also thanked his teammates for their encouragement. "Only by persevering day after day—through serious training and matches—can I repay them," Zhang Hongfu said.

Zhang Hongfu has his own plans: in the short term, he hopes to establish himself in the CSL, accumulating practical experience in high-intensity competition; his long-term dream is to be selected for the national youth team, wear the national team jersey, and win glory for the country.

Zhang Hongfu's mother said that at home, she rarely talks about empty principles but rather implements them in daily small matters. "Be grateful and remember the source. When he was studying at Evergrande Football School, every time he returned to school after a holiday, he would thank the coaches who had taught him, always remembering the support at the start. Also, when he was young, whenever it rained and I picked him up, we would pick up classmates and their parents along the way. I told him, 'Do not fail to do good even if it's small; do not engage in evil even if it's small.'"

Competing in the CSL comes with both competition and pressure. The mother and son have their own heartwarming agreement. The mother never mentions match results, but before a game, she tells him to protect his body, stay away from injuries, keep a calm mindset, and perform as well as he does in training. "As long as you give it your all, there will be no regrets." If the performance is decent, she reminds him to guard against pride and impatience; if there are mistakes, she first comforts his emotions and together they find the problem, but she never criticizes harshly.

"Not moved by favor or disgrace, with a calm mind like still water." These eight-character maxim were given to Zhang Hongfu by his mother, and he always keeps them in mind.

In the CSL, center-backs often face the impact of foreign or national team forwards, and mistakes are easily magnified. But no matter the game situation, Zhang Hongfu always gives his all. This tenacious spirit of never giving up also moved his mother. "When he was a child, even during the Spring Festival holiday when everyone was playing, he would practice juggling on the road in front of our house for hours at a time. I think he is talented, but he never gets arrogant. He takes the initiative to do extra strength training and refine his defensive positioning. That's rare," Zhang Hongfu's mother said.

Being able to come to Tieren, Zhang Hongfu's mother is grateful. "At the start of the season, several clubs contacted him, but the one that gave him enough recognition was Tieren Club. Coach Xu (Zhengyuan) also gave Hongfu great affirmation. The child is still young, and on such an important position as center-back, Coach Xu dared to let him start and play the full match—that is really tremendous trust." She hopes that Zhang Hongfu can learn more from seniors, including tactical thinking, overall vision, and technical details like positioning and covering defense, "so as not to let down the club's expectations."