BYD Long-Term Support for Youth Training, Witnessing Chinese Football Youths Shine on the World Stage

Facing age-grade teams from European clubs like Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, and Espanyol, how far can a Chinese team with an average age of only 8 years go?

The answer given by the Chinese Football Youths 2018 team is winning all nine matches and taking the championship.

On September 12th to 13th, at the Spanish Brava Cup venue, the Chinese Football Youths broke through from 67 participating teams. Four consecutive wins in the group stage were just an appetizer; once the knockout stage began, the real challenges were just starting. In the semi-final against the Espanyol age-grade team, the young players completed a comeback while trailing by two goals; in the final against Messi's Cornellà age-grade team, the match was tied 2:2 after regular time, eventually securing the victory through a penalty shootout 5:4.

When the children held the trophy and celebrated with the national flag, the moment that Chinese football youths shone on the world stage had the most concrete imagery. The core player of the team, Han Chengjun, also known as "Little George", scored 17 goals in 9 matches and also won the tournament MVP and Golden Boot. Of course, this achievement is eye-catching, but what is more exciting than the goal numbers is the resilience of this team in adversity. Dare to push forward when behind, dare to handle key balls, dare to stand on the penalty spot for a penalty shootout victory, these match qualities are more precious than a single win or loss.

One year ago, at the same tournament, the Chinese Football Youths stopped at the quarter-finals; a year later, they stood on the highest podium. The change did not happen suddenly.

Since 2024, BYD has continuously supported football youths to go to Germany, Japan, Spain, Thailand, Italy, Brazil, etc. for exchange matches, totaling over 200 participations. Go to play against more mature youth training systems, experience high-intensity schedules, and also recognize gaps through wins and losses time and again.

From winning the Asian youth tournament in Thailand, to lifting the cup in Italy, to this time winning all nine matches in Spain, the overseas journey of the Chinese Football Youths is beginning to show a clearer growth trajectory. Players such as Li Haoyan, Liu Kaiyuan, and Lv Mengyang have already signed with Spanish professional club age-grade teams, which also indicates that these cross-border exchanges are leaving longer-term value.

Building cars requires long-term R&D, and youth training has no quick answer. BYD supports these children; the significance is not only in accompanying them to win so many trophies, but more importantly in still willing to provide opportunities to go out and compete when results have not yet appeared and attention has not yet arrived.

This Brava Cup belongs to the little players who dare to fight and strive, and also to every training session that persisted even when no one cheered. The future of Chinese football is far away, but these children have already taken a step forward.