Working toward her goal

Senior high school student hopes to play for national team one day

Shang Lianghui's football dream started from an accident when she was in primary school. She and her brother were fighting and broke the remote control of the family's television, and they could only watch the sports channel. "A football game was on with Argentina playing France. I suddenly became fascinated with the sport when Argentina's No 10 quickly dribbled past his defender, scored and was cheered by the crowd," says Shang, a senior high student at the No 1 Middle School in Tancheng, Shandong province.

She did not know much about the sport or Lionel Messi, the Argentine player's name, until she went to junior middle school.

Her parents left home to work in a supermarket in Shanghai so they could afford Shang's and her brother's school fees. Whenever they telephoned, they would try to persuade her not to play anymore. But she kept playing because she loved the sport so much. Last year, she became a player on the Tancheng No 1 Middle School team.

"I'm one step closer to my goal of playing for the national women's football team. And I hope to see my idol Messi soon."

(China Daily Africa Weekly 10/18/2013 page4)