The Football Association is recruiting a new head coach for the national team, with an age limit below 60, aiming to qualify for the 2030 World Cup. Cannavaro has already entered the race.

World Cup qualifiers worldwide are progressing intensely, and the national team is gearing up early for the 2030 World Cup. The Chinese Football Association has begun appointing a new head coach. The team experienced setbacks under the elderly coach Ivanković, who is over 70 and lacks the stamina to put in the effort. The team always plays the same 4-4-2 diamond formation in qualifiers, which is indeed an old-fashioned strategy. Learning from past mistakes, the association has now set a clear age limit below 60 years, requiring the coach to have sufficient physical strength to design tactics, evaluate players, and lead training personally, rather than just going through the motions like Ivanković, who stuck to the 4-4-2 diamond regardless of the opponent, lacking specificity.

Besides the clear age criteria, the main goal for the new national team coach is to raise the level of Chinese football and lead the men's team to qualify for the 2030 World Cup; this is the most crucial task for the new coach.

According to the latest news, former interim national team coach Cannavaro has submitted his application to the Chinese Football Association to participate in the selection. Cannavaro, aged 51, has coached Guangzhou Evergrande, Al-Nassr, Tianjin Quanjian, Benevento, Udinese, and Dinamo Zagreb. He served as the national team’s head coach from March to April 2019, losing both matches with a 0% win rate. Outside China, Cannavaro’s coaching record is disappointing; for example, his win rate at Saudi giant Al-Nassr was only 42.9%, and his stints at Benevento, Udinese, and Dinamo Zagreb all ended in failure.

In my opinion, the Chinese Football Association's decision to set an age limit for the coach is a step forward, as older coaches lack the energy to lead effectively. However, a mediocre coach like Cannavaro is not a suitable candidate for the national team’s head coach. He failed in all his coaching roles outside China and, realizing it’s tough to succeed in Europe, now wants to return to China to make money. Cannavaro’s coaching skills are those of a European “rookie.”