The boots are finally on the ground! On February 24, the 69-year-old Ivankovic became the 11th foreign head coach in the history of the Chinese men's football team. And a year ago today, Jankovic just took over as the head of the national football team. Compared with Jankovic, whose coaching resume is like a blank sheet of paper, Ivankovic's coaching footprints are all over Europe and Asia, and he is more familiar with Chinese football after a long time in Asian football.
Under the urgent situation of the two-legged world preliminary match with Singapore, the "marriage" between Ivankovic and Chinese football this time, both sides are looking forward to sparking as quickly as possible.
No matter how good the coaching level is, the national football team will become the terminator of foreign coaches! Although it is ridiculed by fans, it is indeed difficult for foreign "monks" to recite scriptures in Chinese football. The previous 11 foreign coaches of the Chinese men's football team, the most successful is the magical coach Milu, who led the national football team to the top 10 of the Asian zone of the 2001 South Korea-Japan World Cup Qualifiers, and historically advanced to the World Cup finals, realizing the dream of several generations of Chinese football. In addition, whether it is Houghton, who is known for his rigor, Ali Han, who pays attention to tactical concepts, or Lippi, the Italian coach who has been in charge of the national football team twice, have failed to lead the national football team to realize their dream of the World Cup stage for the second time.
After the defeat in the Asian Cup in Qatar, the Chinese men's football team has dropped to 87th in the world ranking, and the Asian ranking has dropped from 11th to 13th, which is the lowest ranking of the national football team since March 2016 (96th). At a time when the overall strength of the national football team is deteriorating and self-confidence is being hit, someone must take over this hot potato and lead the Chinese men's football team to meet the World Preliminary Tournament a month later.
Unlike previous foreign coaches, Ivankovic has a tighter time and more cumbersome tasks this time, and the burden on the shoulders of the Croatian coach is heavier. Ivankovic's hand-in-hand with Chinese football is not only because of his knowledge of Asian football and salary requirements that meet the expectations of the Chinese Football Association, but also because the dual complex of Chinese football and the World Cup also coincides with the two sides. Ivankovic's humble attitude and rigorous work style when he coached Shandong Taishan in 2009 also left a deep impression.
Although Ivankovic is nearly 70 years old, he still has a young heart that does not admit defeat, and Milou has also become a ray of light in the heart of the old coach to chase. 22 years ago, Milu led the Chinese men's football team to the World Cup in South Korea and Japan, and Ivankovic is eager to repeat the "miracle of Milu" before retirement, leading the Chinese men's football team to realize this long-cherished wish again, and he is also very much looking forward to this challenge.
The 2026 US-Canada-Mexico World Cup finals will be expanded to 48 teams, and the AFC will win a total of 85 entry places. Although Chinese football is at the freezing point of history, the goal of hitting the World Cup has never wavered. Jankovic, who has limited coaching ability, has been questioned since he took office, and he has always been difficult to become the best "leader" of the Chinese men's football team to hit the World Cup.
The rout of the Asian Cup in Qatar gave the Chinese Football Association the opportunity to correct itself in the coach position, Ivankovic shoulders the mission of reversing the current decline and rebuilding the national football team in the long run, and the "back-to-back" against the Singapore team in the world preliminaries is undoubtedly the first big test he faces, whether the "speed of light" ignites the fighting desire of the national players, so that the national football team can quickly "heal" and get back on track, will be the first problem facing Ivankovic, and his primary goal after taking office is to lead the Chinese men's football team to break through from the round of 36, and hit the 2026 World Cup finals in the round of 18.
It is reported that the Chinese men's football team plans to usher in a new training camp on March 12, and Ivankovic will officially start coaching the national football team on February 25 in the Super Cup between Shanghai Port and Shanghai Shenhua. The old and strong Ivankovic is eager to repeat the "Milu miracle", and the Chinese men's football team is also looking forward to a reborn life, hoping that the honeymoon period between the two sides can be lasting and sweet.
Text reporter Chai Zhi.