Chapter 1

Let me explain. The background of this book is set before the summer of 2003, and everything is basically the same as in history.

After 2003, the events that will unfold will be a brand new story, which can be considered semi-fictional.

I will include some absolutely true information to avoid any misunderstandings from readers that I am making things up in the novel.

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Lin Qiuli

TscheuLaLing (also written as TschenLaLing, pronounced in pinyin as: tiulaling)

In the history of international football, a star with Chinese heritage who dominated European football in the late 1970s and early 1980s never appeared before Chinese mainland fans. His name is Lin Qiuli.

Mainland Chinese do not know who Lin Qiuli is, but in the late 1970s, Lin Qiuli's name was well-known in Hong Kong. Over 20 years ago, when Lin Qiuli, wearing the Ajax No. 9 jersey, and his newlywed wife appeared at Hong Kong's Kai Tak Airport, the excited Hong Kong fans had already been waiting with large portraits of Lin Qiuli. At that time, Lin Qiuli's status in Dutch football was almost on par with Cruyff. It can be said that Lin Qiuli was the first to break the awkward situation of Chinese in world football.

Our reporter group went to the Netherlands for on-site reporting of the European Cup. Before departure, we all agreed that we must find Lin Qiuli amidst the vast sea of people and let all Chinese football fans know about the pride written by a Chinese dragon in world football. However, "Lin Qiuli" is clearly just a Chinese name, and no Dutch fans would know who he is if only the Chinese name is mentioned.

The reporter stayed at a hotel in Rotterdam run by Chinese. The hotel manager, Li Wei, had moved to the Netherlands in the 1980s. When chatting with Li Wei about Xie Yuxin, who once played for Zwolle, and the friendly match between China and the Netherlands in 1996 in Tilburg, Li Wei inadvertently provided an important piece of information: "There was a Chinese man named Zhou Na Lin who played for Ajax and also for the Dutch national team. Older Chinese people all know Zhou Na Lin's name."

The reporter immediately realized that Zhou Na Lin was the English pronunciation of Lin Qiuli, but Li Wei could not spell Zhou Na Lin's English name. However, he told the reporter that the Dutch Football Association has archives of all national team players, and it would be possible to inquire there. The reporter then called the Dutch Football Association. A female secretary answered the phone. Upon hearing "Zhou Na Lin," she thought for a long time and said, "I know this person, but we need to wait for our staff to return to help you find the information. Everyone is busy with the European Cup now. Can you call back tomorrow?"

The reporter continued to pursue this lead and called again the next day. It happened to be the day the Dutch team was to play against France, and the lady was a bit impatient: "It's the European Cup period now. If you can wait, you can call back after the European Cup." The reporter was set to return to China after the European Cup, so it seemed that the lead from the Dutch Football Association was cut off.

The reporter mistakenly thought that calling Ajax Club would be a good strategy, but the phone at Ajax Club only played a recorded message, indicating that everyone at Ajax was enjoying their holiday.

Later, whenever the reporters interviewed a Chinese person in Europe, they would ask, "Do you know Zhou Na Lin?" Most Chinese football fans would proudly say, "Yes. But we don't know where he is now, and he rarely participates in Chinese community activities." Has Zhou Na Lin disappeared?

On the first day after the European Cup, the reporter finally found a clue by chance. During a chat with Yang Huagen, the chairman of the Dutch Chinese Sports Association, Yang Huagen heard that the reporter was looking for Zhou Na Lin and said, "This person now lives in The Hague and runs a sports health food company called 'FITSHAPE.' " Subsequently, a Chinese coach named Zhang Jihuo, who had obtained a high-level coaching certificate in the Netherlands, volunteered to help the reporter. Zhang Jihuo said, "A few days ago, I helped a Hong Kong cable TV reporter interview Zhou Na Lin. I can take you to find him, but Zhou Na Lin doesn't speak Cantonese or Mandarin; he only speaks English or Dutch." At the reporter's insistence, Zhang Jihuo immediately called, and the long-awaited voice of Zhou Na Lin came through: "I can be interviewed by you tomorrow, but it has to be after 3:30 PM."

Missing Grandfather

The interview did not start smoothly. Zhou Na Lin began with a boss-like tone, saying, "I only have 20 minutes today, so please ask your questions as quickly as possible." The reporter directly cut to the chase: "Mr. Lin, can you tell us where your ancestors are from?" Zhou Na Lin was clearly taken aback and said, "It seems to be in the middle of China, near the coast." The reporter asked, "Is it Shanghai?" He shook his head and said, "No... I can't say it." Zhou Na Lin's face turned a bit red, as it seemed unreasonable for a Chinese person to not know their ancestral home in front of other Chinese.

In a hurry, Zhou Na Lin opened his phone and explained, "This is my grandfather's fellow townsman, who is 85 years old. He came to the Netherlands with my grandfather. He knows where our family is from." Zhou Na Lin chatted with the old man in Dutch, then handed the phone to the reporter. The reporter tried to use Mandarin, Cantonese, and English to stimulate the old man's thinking, but the old man could only speak Wenzhou dialect. After much back and forth, it was finally determined that Zhou Na Lin's ancestral home was in Qingtian County near Wenzhou, and his Chinese name should be Lin Qiuli.

Finding his roots, Lin Qiuli became more talkative. Zhang Jihuo whispered to the reporter, "Don't listen to him about the 20-minute interview. Just ask whatever you want. He's now in the mood to talk." Speaking of his grandfather, Lin Qiuli's admiration was evident: "I still can't forget my grandfather, who passed away six years ago. I still keep a photo of my grandfather, taken with my grandmother. My grandmother is Dutch." Lin Qiuli then gestured with his hands and said, "My grandfather was very short, and my grandmother was much taller. It was quite amusing to see them together in photos." Lin Qiuli is 1.85 meters tall, which seems to have come from his grandmother's genes.

Lin Qiuli was extremely impressed by his grandfather: "According to my grandfather's fellow townsman, my grandfather originally had a large house in Wenzhou, which was passed down from our ancestors. Later, my grandfather sold the house, gathered the money, and came to the Netherlands via Indonesia. This was probably in the late 1920s or early 1930s. After arriving in The Hague, he opened a noodle factory called 'Songqi.'" The reporter thought "Songqi" might be a homophone of a lucky word, and the name must have some significance. Lin Qiuli continued, "The fellow townsman I just spoke to on the phone said that the original house is still there. He went back to the mainland last year and specifically visited our home in Qingtian."

Speaking of his grandfather, Lin Qiuli suddenly remembered something and ran to his desk to search for a piece of paper. He showed it to the reporter and said, "This is my grandfather's name, and this is my name." The paper read "Lin Songqi" and below it, "Lin Qiuli." The reporter then understood that the "Songqi" noodle factory used his grandfather's name. The reporter asked, "Is Lin Qiuli a name given by your grandfather?" Lin Qiuli nodded, and the reporter joked, "When you were born, did your grandfather already think you would become a famous footballer, so he named you Qiuli?" Lin Qiuli shook his head and said, "Not really. My grandfather just hoped I would have a bright future."

The Hong Kong media, which first disclosed Lin Qiuli's background in the late 1970s, based on the Cantonese pronunciation, always mistakenly wrote Lin Qiuli as "Lin Quna," leading to a widespread misunderstanding. Over the years, overseas people have referred to him as Lin Quna or, according to Hong Kong's English translation habits, as Zhou Na Lin. Lin Qiuli said, "I did not inherit my grandfather's noodle factory. My father took over the business as it was, and my older brother still runs the noodle factory. My younger brother and I run the company together."

Compared to the complex Chinese family background, Lin Qiuli's football career was even more challenging. He spoke at length about his experiences playing for Ajax, Panathinaikos, and Marseille.

Ajax No. 9

Lin Qiuli was fascinated by football from a young age. "I started playing street football. When I was 6 or 7, I began playing on the streets. In the Netherlands, football is undoubtedly the top sport, and there are many good players, but my skills stood out. Although my physique was not as good as others, I was very good at conserving my energy. Because of my speed, I could score many goals."

At 13 or 14, many second-tier teams showed interest in Lin Qiuli, but he did not want to leave his hometown to play in a lower-level league. At 15, Lin Qiuli joined a local amateur team in The Hague and quickly stood out. A year later, the Dutch first-tier club ADO Den Haag signed the 16-year-old Lin Qiuli. At the time, Ajax also extended an invitation to Lin Qiuli, but he politely declined: "I played football for fun and did not consider it a job. Therefore, I did not have time to go to Amsterdam for professional training." In 1974, Ajax acquired the 19-year-old Lin Qiuli through a buyout, and his glorious professional career began. Lin Qiuli's first coach was the famous Dutch "football father" Rinus Michels. Michels coached clubs like Ajax and Barcelona and led the Dutch national team to the European Cup in 1988. Lin Qiuli recalled, "Michels emphasized technique. When I first joined the team, Michels told me, 'As long as you listen to me, I will make you a better player.' In my first season, I was always a substitute, playing only 15 games, but my characteristics were already evident. 'I was fast, had good technique, and was particularly good at breaking through on the wings, making me a goal scorer.'"

At the time, it was Ajax's most glorious era, with stars like Johan Neeskens and Ruud Krol. "They were the main players of the national team, and they had a very good relationship. They were all older, while I was still young. I played as a winger, and it was easy for me to break through defenders one-on-one. However, the play was rough back then, unlike today with red and yellow cards. Black-hearted defenders would kick me from behind, so I often got injured. At such times, others could only comfort me, 'Don't cry.'"

Michels changed Lin Qiuli's playing style. Michels was very strict about players' ball control but did not like them showing off their skills. He required players to pass the ball quickly on the field. This "total football" father commanded all players to run as much as possible, which Lin Qiuli found difficult to adapt to. "Michels said that even geniuses must be diligent. My physical condition was not good, and after running for half an hour, I would be exhausted and had to be substituted. I could not fully display my skills."

A year after joining the team, the Yugoslav coach Miljan Ivic took over from Michels. When Lin Qiuli mentioned Ivic, he was very respectful: "I have learned from many famous coaches, such as Michels, Hennes Weisweiler, and Jack Charlton, but Ivic is the only coach I truly admire. He taught me how to play football effortlessly." Ivic did not demand that Lin Qiuli run all over the field. "He had the defenders pass the ball to me, and when I controlled it, my teammates would position themselves. Then I would pass the ball to them within about 10 meters. This greatly reduced my running load. Some coaches only emphasized integrating players into the team, but only Ivic brought out my strengths."

Lin Qiuli gradually established his position in Ajax and wore the No. 9 jersey. However, at the age of 23, he voluntarily gave up the opportunity to participate in the 1978 World Cup. "I was too young at the time, and I had played many games in the recently concluded season, feeling very tired. I did not want to travel all the way to Argentina, so I withdrew from the national team before the World Cup. Others might say this was a foolish decision, but I preferred to enjoy life in the Netherlands and was happy to stay at home." Lin Qiuli only later developed the desire to play for the national team, but the highly skilled player only appeared 16 times for the Dutch national team. "The national team had a different style, and I could not fully perform." In Dutch football history, Lin Qiuli might be one of the few stars who did not like the Dutch "total football" style, but the main reason he could not play for the national team was also due to his Chinese heritage.

Lin Qiuli played for Ajax for seven years, winning five domestic league and cup championships. In 1981, at the age of 26, he transferred to Greek club Panathinaikos. The reporter was curious why Lin Qiuli would leave the prestigious Ajax, and he explained, "I gradually became the No. 1 in Ajax. All the fans in the stadium cheered for me, and the other 10 players on the field worked around me. This was a burden for me. The coach had high expectations of me, and sometimes we had conflicts, so I had to leave."

Lin Qiuli played for Panathinaikos for two years, experiencing a different football style. "There were few excellent players there, and no one could match my skills. People liked me very much. Greece is by the sea, with dense forests and beautiful scenery. When I first arrived, I was completely there for a holiday and did not care about the results of the matches. In the first year, we only finished third in the league, but in the second year, I led the team to the championship." In 1983, Lin Qiuli transferred to French club Marseille, where he played for two years. To his regret, "By the time I left Marseille, Tapie (a former French football powerhouse) had not yet become the club's owner." In 1985, Lin Qiuli returned to Rotterdam, not far from his home, and joined Feyenoord.

Lin Qiuli admitted that his performance in these years was not good. Playing abroad made him a lot of money; he earned 1 million Dutch guilders (about $500,000) in one year in Greece, which gradually diminished his desire to play football. "I became a millionaire in my 20s, which was not a good thing. As one gets older, one realizes the mistakes made in the past. Life is like that." Matches came one after another, but Lin Qiuli's fighting spirit waned. One day, the chairman of Feyenoord asked Lin Qiuli, "Do you still enjoy playing football? If you do, please cheer up. If not, we will consider other options." Lin Qiuli immediately replied, "Mr. Chairman, I can definitely play better!" Two weeks later, the indomitable Lin Qiuli was reborn. "I kept creating opportunities for the forwards, and it was up to them to seize them. Although my body was not as good as when I was young, my skills were even better, and I could easily toy with the opposing defenders."

The above is from a previous interview by