Fifa Women’s World Cup: China legend Gao Hong urges more players to test themselves abroad after country’s early exit
- ‘I think football should go forward, we should not always look back. We should go forward, go abroad, go professional,’ Gao says
- The national team failed to reach the knockout stage for the first time in the eight editions they have played in, following 6-1 thrashing by England
Gao, who played alongside Shui to win the silver medal at the 1996 Olympic Games, is one of the most revered figures in the women’s game in China, also featuring in the side that lost to the United States in a penalty shoot-out in the 1999 Women’s World Cup final.
The current team have fallen well short of those standards, however, with China exiting the tournament after a comprehensive 6-1 thrashing by England in Adelaide on Tuesday.
The loss put the seal on a disappointing tournament for the Chinese as the first time the nation’s representatives failed to progress to the knockout rounds of the Women’s World Cup in eight editions.
“The fans in China like to compare that team in 1999 and the team now, and every team, every year,” Gao said. “The team four years ago at the World Cup was compared with us and after four years they continue to compare them to us.
