Game changer with an eye on goal

Soccer, there's nothing quite like it when the bug takes hold. The euphoria of the highs that have you hugging strangers and the despair of lows that leave you not wanting to talk to anyone for days are hard to understand for those who don't share a passion for the sport.

"It's only a game," they'll say. But for fans around the world, including those in China, it's a lot more important than that.

So with President Xi Jinping traveling up to Manchester during his visit to the United Kingdom, rather than wondering if China will invest in the proposed high-speed rail and a nuclear power station, the question on many people's minds was which side of the city he favored, the red or the blue?

Red would perhaps have seemed the more likely, not for any familiar associations the color might have for him, but because Alex Ferguson's fabled temper was driving United to glory when Xi was younger.

However, it's blue that's got the nod. Not because Louis van Gaal's pragmatic obsession with possession leaves him cold (which it may) and he prefers the attacking panache of David Siva and Sergio Aguero (which he may), but apparently because the coordinator is a City fan.

China's most successful export to the English Premiership, Sun Jihai, will be on hand to welcome Xi to the Etihad Stadium. The defender, who played for City 103 times between 2002 and 2008, was reunited with the club in September when he was appointed a club ambassador in China.

Ahead of Xi's visit, he said a faster pace of development is needed for China to catch up with the game in the UK. Not surprisingly, therefore, he's enthusiastic about the reforms Xi has initiated for the sport back home, seeing them as "a great opportunity to turn around football development in China".

Before he became the country's top leader and expressed his aim of realizing the Chinese dream, Xi, who is known to be rather fond of the beautiful game, said he dreamed of China hosting and one day winning the World Cup. Which, given the state of the men's national team and the clubs in China, had some fans shaking their heads in disbelief.

However, Xi has put the money where his mouth is. The reform plan involves almost every aspect of the sport, including professional clubs, professional leagues, the men's and women's national teams and the grassroots.

A series of goals have been put forward in the plan, including, long term, the men's national team climbing to the top of the rankings (it currently ranks 81) and the country hosting the World Cup.

All the attention on the sport is not just because Xi has loved soccer since he played for his school team, but also because it's a global phenomena and the image of Chinese soccer at present reflects badly on the image of the nation.

If the photographers manage to persuade Xi to kick a ball for their cameras, he'll probably give it a good boot, which would be apt since he's aiming high.

Contact the writer at hannayrichards@chinadaily.com.cn