China names Bundesliga pioneer as head coach of men's national team

China's Bundesliga pioneer Shao Jiayi has embraced a new challenge in his managerial career after the former Team China midfielder was appointed new head coach of the country's struggling men's national squad.

Shao's appointment to the high-profile post was announced by the Chinese Football Association on Wednesday as the result of an open selection for the successor of ex-coach Branko Ivankovic, who was dismissed by the CFA in June after failing to lead Team China to earn qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The CFA said in a statement that the decision was made based on assessment of the experiences and lessons learned from previous national team coach selections, and in consideration of the current situation and the long-term development of the national team.

The CFA had evaluated multiple candidates from home and abroad, taking a prudent scrutiny on their respectively managerial resumes, coaching philosophies, training methods, communication ability and compatibility to the job, before selecting Shao as the new leader of the national team.

Born in 1980 in Beijing, Shao kicked off his 17-year professional career with his hometown club Beijing Guo'an in China's top-flight domestic league.

After representing China at the country's first and only World Cup finals in 2002, Shao moved to Germany and went on to play 168 matches across the top-tier Bundesliga and second-division Bundesliga 2 with 1860 Munich, Energie Cottbus and Duisburg, respectively, scoring 24 total goals to become one of the most successful Chinese players in elite European leagues up to date.

Shao retired in 2015 as a Guo'an veteran after multiple injuries cut short his athletic career, before moving on to open a second chapter of his career as a budding soccer coach.

"The DFL warmly congratulates the Chinese Football Association and Jiayi Shao on this important appointment," the Germany FA said in a statement addressing Shao's new appointment. "We look forward to seeing China's national team reach new heights under his leadership, and the Bundesliga remains committed to long-term cooperation and supporting the sustainable development of Chinese football."

The CFA elaborated in its statement that the choice of making the 45-year-old Shao as the new skipper of the national program reflects its commitment to long-term cultivation of young talents, rather than a desperate quick fix for immediate results.

Due to the lack of quality talents at the elite level and former coach Ivankovic's incompatible tactics to the squad's roster, Team China was eliminated in the third stage of Asian qualifiers for next year's World Cup, which will be jointly held by the United States, Canada and Mexico, failing to qualify for the FIFA marquee tournament for a sixth straight edition.