What does Asian football gain and lose from the trend of naturalization?

JAPAN , A PIONEERING INDIAN

Surprisingly, one of the first Asian teams to open its doors to naturalized players was Japan. It's surprising because many mistakenly believe Japan has an abundance of local talent. That's the reality now, but 30 years ago it was a different story.

Between 1995 and 1998, Japanese football produced some groundbreaking stars who moved to Europe to seek opportunities, but overall, Japanese players were still far behind the world's top level in terms of stature, tactical thinking, and stamina. Having coached various levels of the Japanese national team in the late 20th century, Coach Philippe Troussier asserted that players from the Land of the Rising Sun needed to boldly go abroad to learn and become more cunning and resilient, instead of playing relatively simple football.

Elkeson (Ai Kesen) was unable to help the Chinese team turn things around.

That's when the door opened for naturalized players, and the country Japan "chose" to import players from was Brazil – a country the Land of the Rising Sun has always looked up to as a role model in football. In 1998, Wagner Lopes made history by becoming the first naturalized Japanese player to participate in the World Cup. Four years later, it was Alessandro dos Santos' turn (of Brazilian origin) to wear the Japanese national team jersey to participate in the 2002 World Cup.

Football fans back then were thrilled to see a star with a strong Samba flair amidst a sea of ​​Japanese native players competing in the World Cup on home soil. With Alessandro in the squad, Coach Troussier's team achieved their first-ever qualification for the World Cup knockout stage...

Regarding the policy of naturalizing players, the Japan Football Association (JFA) affirmed: "The history of Japanese football has always recognized the contributions of both native and naturalized players." Foreign stars come to the J-League, become key players, and when they meet the requirements, they are granted citizenship to play for the national team. There is no discrimination whatsoever. The Japanese national team has had 17 naturalized stars in the past 30 years. Although the legends of the Japanese national team are mostly native stars, the contributions of naturalized players cannot be denied, as they helped motivate native players to strive harder, bringing experience and stature to strengthen the foundation of a team that was still inexperienced 30 years ago in the "big leagues."

WHY DID THE CHINESE TEAM FAIL ?

In 2021, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) followed the same path as Japan, which was to naturalize the brightest stars (mostly of Brazilian origin) in the national league, in order to get closer to its ambition of qualifying for the World Cup.

Six players were granted Chinese citizenship: Elkeson, Fernando Henrique, Ricardo Goulart, Alan Carvalho, former Everton defender Tyias Browning, and Nico Yennaris, a former Arsenal midfielder. This was a time of crisis for Chinese football, as despite appointing top coaches like Marcello Lippi, Guus Hiddink, and former Ballon d'Or winner Fabio Cannavaro, the Chinese national teams at all levels continued to perform poorly. Unable to rely on local players, Chinese football decided to take a shortcut.

However, the Chinese national team still failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, finishing second to last, and suffered painful defeats in the 2019 and 2023 Asian Cups. The 0-7 loss to Japan in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers shows that, despite massive naturalization, Chinese football remains stagnant, or even regresses.

Why is it that when the same naturalization process is implemented, the Japanese national team succeeds while the Chinese, Philippine, and Malaysian teams fail?

The problem is that Japan uses naturalized players systematically and strategically. Stars like Alessandro or Lopes only act as catalysts to boost the "surface." At the root, the Japanese have strived to build a systematic football system from youth training to the highest level, from grassroots and school football to professional leagues, creating a solid foundation with hundreds of clubs scattered across the country. Despite using naturalized players, Japan hasn't forgotten to nurture local talent. As a result, today Japan can stand on its own two feet, no longer relying on the abilities of naturalized players.

Conversely, China and the Philippines are resorting to mass naturalization in exchange for short-term success. International stars can solve problems in the short term. But if naturalization is not strategically planned, it's just a temporary fix, helping to forget the current pain without fundamentally resolving the issue. A football system that relies solely on naturalized players without building a solid foundation will not achieve long-term success. The Philippines and Malaysia have returned to their former glory, while China has lost both of its first two matches in the third qualifying round, meaning its chances of qualifying for the World Cup are dwindling.

"Naturalized players may be a quick fix for Chinese football in the short term, but they are not the perfect solution to the chronic problems. The blind pursuit of short-term victories has closed the door to developing the foundation of football that we should be strengthening," China's Global Times assessed.

Overall, the trend of naturalizing players is undeniable, especially in footballing nations with limited human resources such as stamina, physical fitness, and speed. However, naturalization also requires a strategy, considering which position the star player should play, which league they should serve, and what requirements they need to meet. Furthermore, if the foundations of football, such as the quality of the domestic league and youth development, are not improved, the failure of Chinese football will serve as a warning to the rest. (to be continued)

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bong-da-chau-a-duoc-va-mat-gi-voi-xu-huong-nhap-tich-185241001152822482.htm