Why do these Tsinghua students love football?

Editor’s note

Football is a popular sport that receives love from all over the world. As the World Cup is going on, we invited our fellow TsinghuaRen to share their stories and passion for football.

01

Adrian：

Enjoying the charm of playing and watching football games

“Football is an intense but enjoyable sport, consisting of diverse tactical changes,” says Adrian Jakubke, a German undergraduate student from the School of Social Sciences. His family has a deep relationship with football, as his father and grandfather were both professional football players in Germany. 

The FIFA World Cup is the ultimate fiesta for football lovers across the globe. Adrian once joined the activity held by the German Embassy of China, to watch the semi-finals and finals of the World Cup as the German team was fierce in the games. The crowd went crazy after Germany won the tense match against Argentina, and brought home the trophy. The excitement lights up Adrian’s interest in football and he started to engage himself in the field and watch the football competitions. Since then his favorite sport has become football.

Adrian recalls that there’s a popular football game played during his high school called “WonBa”. “WonBa” is a football trend in Korea that means “One Bounce”, the players need to stand in a circle and kick to lift the ball in one bounce then the next player continues. If the player failed to kick it up and lets it touches the floor twice, the player loses the game. A player needs to eliminate all the others to win the game. Adrian thinks “WonBa” is not only an interesting game to play but also a game to practice his football skills, as he gets to practice his control of the ball and agility.

Besides playing football, Adrian also enjoys watching football matches. It’s FIFA season again. Lionel Messi is his favourite football star. “Messi doesn't have many fancy moves, but his dribble is just fascinating. I think it’s just pure talent,” says Adrian. “Also, this is Messi's last World Cup.” He hopes that Messi leaves no regrets on the field.

02

Zhu Hongxu：

Football has become a part of my life

“Playing football is a kind of enjoyment, in which I can think about the interaction between time and space,” Zhu Hongxu, a graduate student in the School of Journalism and Communication of Tsinghua University(TSJC) said.

Growing up in a football family, Zhu Hongxu was taught to play football from the age of four. Till now, the best coach in his mind is still his father. “He used himself as an example to teach me how to always remain humble and disciplined while believing in myself.” 

Zhu used to be a member of the men's football team of Tsinghua University. On the field, Zhu and his teammates “dedicated their best youth age to Tsinghua”. Every day, they kept training for about two hours under great pressure of studying. Every member of the team practiced positively with the common faith, no matter if they were key players or substitutes. 

Apart from the school trainning, he also played football with different people every week, which provided him a vision of football's diversity and possibility. “Football has become a part of my life.”

Zhu Hongxu is not only a player but also the volunteer coach of the female football team of TSJC, which provides him with a new vision and also a more comprehensive understanding of this sport. 

“I hope to pass on what I learned from my coaches to them, not only the skills of playing football but also the power of creativity and responsibility,” Zhu said. “It is hard for these girls to become professional athletes from zero, but they can still harvest value in limited training time.”

“Learning to play football is also learning to be mature.” In his eyes, football is an essential medium for everybody to learn to face uncertainty and find the answer to life.

03

Meng Weisa:

 I fell in love with the collective

“I was recruited by the seniors of the football team when I was a freshman.” Meng Weisa, a member of the women's soccer team of the Department of Water Conservancy and a member of the women's soccer team of Tsinghua University, always shines in her eyes when she mentions football.

“It feels like girls who play soccer would be cool,” Meng said. After college, she joined the women's football team of the department and school, where the coaches organized training and practiced basic skills.

Meng has suffered a number of injuries in football. But she never gave up the sport of football, kept trying and practicing, improving her level and sweating on the green field. 

Mong plays in the Capital University Tournament every year. The game makes her feel the revolutionary camaraderie of teammates fighting side by side and advancing together, which makes us more cohesive and deeper. “Isn't the charm of competitive sports like football that the players on the field fight side by side, sharing honor and disgrace, and finally fighting back?”

When it comes to the World Cup, Meng believes that the World Cup is a carnival for football fans. “Football is super cool. The most important thing isn't the sport itself, but the spiritual wealth and fellowship it brings.” For Meng, football is more than that. She hopes to better introduce the sport to students who don't know much about football.

04

Kang Tingyuan:

Football has taught me many life lessons 

“Football is an indispensable part of my life, also a good regulator between study and work,” said Kang Tingyuan, an undergraduate student from the School of Vehicle and Mobility at Tsinghua University.

Starting to play football at 6 years old, Kang Tingyuan was deeply affected by his father, who was also a skilled football player. 

Thin and slight, Kang's physical talent was not excellent at first, lagged behind his peers in speed and strength for a long time. In senior high school, he practiced more with the coach after regular training with the school team to improve his physical condition. Gradually, he developed the habit of physical training and finally made up for his weaknesses in physical fitness. 

It is inevitable to suffer from physical injury and mental loss during the football journey. But Kang has learned to become more firm and indomitable. “One of my coaches has told me that the most important thing in the face of obstacles is the belief in myself. I must believe I can do that, in every physical defense, whenever I feel exhausted...” Kang said, “It’s more about overcoming my own.”

Football also provides him an outlet for emotion. Whenever he felt stressed or anxious, sweating on the football field could help him to be calmer and reflect peacefully.

Through playing football, he met many friends, and his girlfriend. “Football is a sport of communication between people. Competition and training are both processes of continuous interaction with teammates, coaches, opponents, referees, and spectators,” says Kang.

Read more about THU

Ma Yaoyao: My 365 days mission in SDG5

Soft robots take on hard work

Voice from Gen Z: China and the World, forging the path forward

TsinghuaRen | Why do these Tsinghua students love football?

Writers: Wong Rhui Poh, Li Ruojia, Xing Xuanwei

Editor: Liu Shutian

Designer: Xia Yifei