Called Up for the Asian Games: Why Was 30-Year-Old Zhong Yihao Selected Despite 24 CSL Appearances and 3 Goals?

The most eye-catching name on this list is not 30-year-old Zhong Yihao, but a 17-year-old high school student.

On the evening of September 8, the Chinese Football Association announced the 30-player squad for the fourth national team training camp. Besides familiar names such as Wei Shihao and Jiang Guangtai, four names appeared that made fans repeatedly double-check: Yang Mingrui, born in 2007; Bunyamin and Wang Gengrui, both born in 2008; and Zhao Songyuan, born in 2009, who is currently still a high school student at Tsinghua University High School.

The combined age of these four players may not even equal that of some veteran players alone. Yet in this youthful squad, Henan FC's 30-year-old winger Zhong Yihao was included. He has scored three goals in 24 CSL appearances this season, numbers that are not spectacular, and his age does not give him an advantage, making him look like an “outlier” among these young players.

In the same squad, one side features high school students with no professional match experience, while the other has a 30-year-old “old newcomer” knocking on the national team's door for the first time. This contrast has made many people question: Wasn't the plan supposed to focus on youth? Why include a 30-year-old “ordinary” player?

The answer lies in the Asian Games that will open half a month later.

The men's football tournament at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games will begin on September 19, and China's Asian Games team had already gathered in Dalian for preparation. The team needed to select players from the senior national team — eight players including Zhang Yuning, Zhu Chenjie, Wang Yudong, Hu Hetao and Yang Xi, who had previously taken part in national team training camps and were either starters or regular rotation players, were all called away to pursue Asian Games results.

Along with injuries to two wide players, Lin Liangming and Zhu Pengyu, Shao Jiayi suddenly had nearly half as many available options. Among the 30 players in this training squad, only 16 had participated in the previous camp, while the rest were temporary additions.

In other words, this was not a normal selection camp, but a forced personnel adjustment. The Asian Games team took away the main wide players, naturally creating a gap on the flanks — and that gap was the direct reason Zhong Yihao was called up.

So why was Zhong Yihao chosen to fill this gap? The league provides the answer.

This season, Zhong Yihao has had a very stable presence for Henan FC. Most of his 24 appearances were starts, and he has scored three goals, including a goal after 28 seconds against Shanghai Port in the opening round, which set the fastest scoring record in the club's history. His ability to move up and down the flank, defensive intensity, and years of league experience were key factors considered by the coaching staff when evaluating players who could immediately contribute in the short term.

More importantly, Shao Jiayi visited Zhengzhou twice this season to watch Henan FC matches in person. In the July 31 home match against Dalian Yingbo, Zhong Yihao's performance attracted the coaching staff's attention. He was not added to the squad out of nowhere; he was selected after repeated observation.

When evaluating the squad, Titan Sports reporter Ma Dexing used a straightforward description: for players over the age of 30, this may also be one of their few opportunities to prove themselves. Once the Asian Games team's task ends and the November international window arrives, regular players will fully return and fringe players will have to make way.

Zhong Yihao's selection is more like a “temporary assignment” during a specific window — the Asian Games team closed the door, and he stepped in through this opening.

As for “why not replace him with a younger winger” — that question itself is based on a false premise. In the same training squad, 18-year-old winger Bunyamin has made 20 CSL appearances this season with five goals and three assists; 19-year-old Yang Mingrui is also a winger, with 24 appearances and 15 starts. These young players are already included.

It is not that there are no young players available as replacements. Zhong Yihao's selection and the inclusion of young players are fundamentally two different things: the former fills a temporary gap, while the latter represents long-term investment. They simply happened in the same squad.

In March, after taking charge, Shao Jiayi announced his first national team training squad, which included eight U23 players. In June, more young players such as Li Hao and Yang Xi were called up. In this September camp, four players born in 2007, 2008 and even 2009 were directly promoted into the squad. This youth-oriented route has remained consistent throughout the four training camps within a year and was not interrupted by Zhong Yihao's selection.

He is the only player among the seven first-time selections who is not in the U21 age group; the other six are all under 21.

Zhong Yihao's selection also carries a subtle footnote. Since he joined Henan FC in 2022, Henan supporters have repeatedly called for the national team to pay attention to this winger. After waiting four years, he finally received his first call-up at the age of 30.

The timing itself explains the situation — he was not selected as a future core player, but received an evaluation opportunity during a special window because of his consistent league appearances and performances. Whether he can remain in the squad after the Asian Games team returns is another matter.

His appearance on the list carries no special marking, just like the other 29 names. The true protagonists of this squad are the young players promoted ahead of schedule — they represent the direction of the national team for the next decade. Zhong Yihao is simply a temporary stop along the way while that direction remains unchanged.