GUANGZHOU/MADRID, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Immediately after the class was over, Zhao Yinran ran toward the soccer field with a ball in one hand and soccer boots in the other. While his peers were busy mingling and chatting, he had begun his juggling exercises to improve his ball control.
During his next class, Zhao, a sixth-grade student from the Affiliated School of Jinan University for Hong Kong and Macao Students in Guangzhou, was going to show his new skills to his Spanish PE teacher, Miguel Cantero Teran, who had witnessed Zhao's progress over the whole past semester.
Teran is from Barcelona. He has been living in China for seven years. Prior to being a PE teacher in Guangzhou, he worked as a professional coach responsible for youth training in a Chinese soccer club.
"I moved to Guangzhou two years ago to start a new life in the city. My career transition from a coach to a teacher has shown me the passion for soccer among the younger generation in China," Teran said.
Although the school offers a wide variety of PE courses, Teran said, students are particularly partial to soccer lessons. "Take Zhao Yinran. He plays soccer whenever he has time, no matter rain or shine. And he often discusses La Liga, Spain's top-tier soccer competition, with me, and he knows many Spanish players."
Soccer connects not only the Spanish teacher and his Chinese students, but also cities at opposite ends of the Eurasian continent. Sharing soccer as a city emblem, Guangzhou and Barcelona became international friendly exchange cities in 2003.
In September 2017, Guangzhou's city promotional film was released in Barcelona and played on the giant screen at the stadium of the soccer club RCD Espanyol de Barcelona. At the ensuing Spring Festival, Chinese New Year festivities featuring Guangzhou elements debuted at Espanyol's home stadium.
"My favorite Spanish player is David Silva. He is a skilled passer with great leadership. I dream of becoming a professional athlete like him," said Zhao.
Some 10,000 km away, in Barcelona, Tan Kaiyuan, a soccer player from Guangzhou, is living Zhao's dream.
Back in 2014, at the age of 13, Tan moved to Spain for the first time for soccer training. During his three-year stay in Madrid, he learned Spanish, adapted to local life, and became well-versed in Spanish soccer techniques and tactics.
An attacking midfielder, Tan started to play in the Chinese Super League in 2020, representing Guangzhou. Earlier this year, RCD Espanyol and China's Guangzhou Football Club reached an agreement on the transfer of Tan, who signed with Espanyol until the end of the 2023/24 season for the B team squad, with the option of a one-year extension.
Tan now plays for the team in the fourth tier of the Spanish league system. This provides him with an opportunity to learn and advance. He has eager anticipation about the future and knows the challenges ahead.
"Playing in a lower league (at the moment) and gradually adjusting my physical condition can help me adapt to matches with higher intensity," said Tan, whose immediate goals are playing more matches, getting into La Liga, and scoring as many goals as possible. ■
