40 games for 40 years old! Interview with veteran Huang Xiyang: I have been mentally prepared for retirement, and I hope to accompany Chongqing football back to the Chinese Super League

Reporter Lu Mi reports On May 31, 2025, Chongqing Tonglianglong played away against Foshan Southern Lions, and Huang Xiyang came on in the 81st minute, achieving 400 career achievements; June 14, 2025, is Huang Xiyang's 40th birthday. On June 14, Chongqing Tonglianglong drew 1-1 at home against Dalian Kuncheng, and before the game, Tonglianglong Club held a grand 400-game commemorative ceremony for Huang Xiyang.

The No. 14 jersey has accompanied Huang Xiyang's entire football career, from a young player to a football veteran, starting in adversity, watching in the drift, and measuring the ups and downs of Chongqing football for more than 20 years with tenacity and sweat......

◆Football: June 14 this year is your birthday, 40 years old, do you have any special wishes at this special time?

Huang Xiyang: I remember that it was the first time I had a birthday with so many people, and I am very grateful to the club for holding such an unforgettable ceremony for me. I wish my family, friends and fans good health. I also have a small wish, which is that the team can stand on the top stage this year.

◆I left Chongqing Football in 2011, when you were 26 years old, and now it has been 14 years, do you think these 14 years have passed fast or slow? What have these experiences brought to your life?

14 years, fast and slow, I am 40 years old in a flash. Football still has too many difficulties for me, even though the experience over the years contains a lot of regrets and ups and downs, but looking back now, my story is still very exciting. Along the way, both good times and bad times are an indispensable part of the road of life. Because in this world, no matter what you do, there will be ups and downs. These experiences have also made Huang Xiyang what he is now, making me stronger and able to take on more.

◆What does 40 mean to you? What does it mean for a professional footballer? Do you feel anxious about age?

For professional footballers, turning 40 means facing retirement. In fact, I was quite entangled last year, but many fans encouraged me and hoped that I would fight for Chongqing football again and bring the team to the Chinese Super League, so I finally persevered. At this age, especially for a player like me who is not very physical, I have to spend a lot of accumulation and dedication to maintain my physical condition and competitive condition, and to be ready to play for the team at all times.

As for age anxiety, I'm actually fine, there have been some injuries this year, which rarely happened when I was young. Personally, I'm 100 per cent committed to training every day because I appreciate every day and every opportunity I play.

◆It is said that "forty is not confused", do you think you have reached this realm? What are some new insights into life and football career?

Forty and not confused, I don't think I've reached such a high level. I still have a lot of feelings, and now that I am a father of three children, I will think more about making decisions and planning for the future, and I will be more stable. Now in football, whether it is the former coach Lin Lin or the current foreign coach Salvador, I am learning their coaching methods, and then summing them up, and adding some of my own thinking, so in fact, I am still in the process of learning.

◆There are not many players in the 85-year-old who are still playing in the professional league, and you are still playing your spare heat here, what makes you so attached to football?

I love football very much, football has brought a lot to my life, including different experiences, improving my family conditions, etc., and I still play until I am 40 years old, because I want to stand on the stage of the top league with Chongqing football as a player. In 2022, when Liangjiang Athletic was disbanded, I felt very sorry for the Chongqing fans, and later came to Tonglianglong, and my buried wish was to bring the team to the Chinese Super League, because Chongqing is a city worthy of the top league. I feel that I can continue to accompany the team to that point, and I also want my career to end successfully, and the most important thing is that Chongqing football should return to the Chinese Super League.

◆After Tonglianglong entered the professional league, you re-shouldered a responsibility for Chongqing football, and now three years have passed, how do you think you have fulfilled this responsibility?

In the three years since the team started from the Chinese Championship, I think this responsibility has been completed quite satisfactorily, and I have a slight regret that I did not rush to the Chinese Super League in one go last year, so I still choose to continue to stick to it this year.

◆Football: On May 31, you made your 400th career appearance against the Foshan Southern Lions. How do you see your 400-game milestone?

Huang Xiyang: 400 games for me should prove that I am a capable professional player. I can say that I'm not a player with a lot of professional achievements, unlike a lot of players who can play for the national team and have a lot of honours, but I have a lot of experiences, some good and some bad, and this milestone is a testament.

◆From the first game to the 400th game, from the junior general to the veteran, during which he has experienced ups and downs, what do you feel the most about your entire career?

Looking back, I have a clear conscience about each of my experiences. No matter what kind of adversity I faced, I always endured it silently, and then worked hard to turn it around, especially in the early ten years of my career, most of which began with adversity, and I was often questioned by my coach when I first appeared on the court, and then I was able to change it through unremitting efforts. It can be said that almost all of my football career has been about moving forward in adversity, and every step of the way has been to turn a difficult situation into a good one. Of course, to reach the 400-game milestone of the professional league today, it is inseparable from the support of many friends and seniors. These years of experience have made me firmly believe that adversity can eventually be rewritten with passion and perseverance.

◆Have you ever wondered what role your milestone will play in Chongqing football and the growth of Chongqing's young players?

I hope to use my own experience to let the youth players and the young players in the team see: how a 40-year-old "veteran" sticks to his beliefs, hard work and enterprising, and I want everyone to see the spirit of never giving up in Chongqing - with my persistence to tell them that they can reach the green field in their hearts with more perseverance and belief on the road of football, and with their dreams.

◆Last year, you contributed 4 goals in the Chinese League, playing an average of 85 minutes per game, and you were the main force of the team, but this year's playing time has been greatly reduced, is there a big psychological gap between you?

The gap is not to be talked about. This year is mainly due to my physical condition, the sudden increase in injuries and the lack of playing time, but I am always on call and I am ready to play as long as the team needs it.

◆With Wu Qing's transformation, Zhao Hejing also retired this year, and you are the only Chongqing veteran left, do you think young players can take over the banner of Chongqing football now?

This year, a lot of young power has been injected into the team, and there are also Chongqing players such as Xiang Yuwang and Li Zhenquan, who have no less Chongqing football feelings than me, and I hope these young people can grow up as soon as possible and carry the banner of Chongqing football. In fact, after nearly three years of polishing in the professional league, the growth of the young people in the team is obvious to all, and they have made significant progress in terms of game reading ability and rationality of handling the ball. Looking at the progress of these young people, I believe that the future of Chongqing football is worth looking forward to.

◆Football: You watched the national team a few days ago, how do you feel as a veteran player?

Huang Xiyang: Although the national team has missed the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, it still allows everyone to see the characteristics of young Chinese players, and also gives us hope for the future, hoping that they can lead Chinese football to the World Cup stage, and I also hope that more Chongqing players can enter the national team.

◆Now it seems that everyone has become accustomed to the national team hovering at the threshold of the World Preliminary Championships, four years and four years, the youth of many players has passed like this, as a professional player, what do you think about this?

In the past, I wanted to play for my country, but now I hope that I can help our players grow as soon as possible and play for my country in the future, and of course, if I have the opportunity in the future, I hope that I can play for my country in another capacity.

◆As a representative figure of Chongqing football, how do you see your role in the history of Chongqing football? What are your expectations and suggestions for the younger generation of Chongqing football players?

When I joined the team, I often shared my past experiences with the younger players. Nowadays, the Chinese football environment has been greatly purified, as long as they play steadfastly, they will definitely be able to reach a higher stage. I hope that they will always remember that they represent Chongqing, inherit the spirit of Chongqing, focus on their professional pursuits, continue to improve their skills, and serve the country in the future.

◆You also opened your own youth training institution, why did you think of running youth training in Chongqing in the process of slow transformation?

To cultivate more professional players from Chongqing, this is my original intention.

◆What positive help do you hope to bring to Chongqing football through your influence? What do you have to say to Chongqing fans?

I hope to use my experience and perseverance to make more Chongqing people fall in love with football, the world's number one sport, and I especially look forward to more children joining it. I want to say to the fans, thank you for your companionship and support along the way, without your encouragement, there would be no persistence and stubbornness. I also want to say to the young fans in Chongqing and friends who have just joined the fan group, please pay more attention to and encourage the young players in the team, slowly witness their growth, and also witness the future of Chongqing football.

◆Retire in the future, I'm afraid that one day everyone will forget you?

After all, the young players in the team don't even know Gao Feng and Peng Weiguo, who have played in Chongqing, let alone my small role, but I will strive to continue to take root in the football industry, even if it is just to do some youth training or grassroots work, as long as I am still shining in this circle, maybe everyone can remember it for a long time (laughs).