When football first entered Luo Zihan's life, it was hard for her to imagine how much it would change her life. Even in her wildest dreams, the 13-year-old couldn't believe she would have the chance to leave her hometown and travel across the sea to watch the EURO 2024 opening match in Germany.
Luo was born in southwest China's Guizhou Province. Her hometown, Yuanbao village, is located in the mountains of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, where a rugged winding mountain road is the only connection between the village and the outside world.
Seven years ago, volunteer teacher Xu Zhaowei came to Yuanbao village and organized a girls' football team at the primary school, where Luo became attached to football.
Since the team was established, football has always been a favorite activity for the children, despite having to train on a wasteland overgrown with weeds and potholes. With years of hard work, the team has won several local championships, and some of the players were selected for the provincial team. Thanks to football, these rural children have another possibility in life.
"I really love playing football, and it makes me happy. I want to become a professional footballer," said Luo.
This week, Luo and her teammates got the chance to experience the highest level of football. They were among the kids sponsored by Chinese automobile giant BYD, also the tournament's official partner, for a EURO 2024 study tour.
BYD, alongside former Manchester City defender Sun Jihai's youth club Haiqiu, selected about one hundred rural young football players to watch the EURO 2024 opening match and play three matches with German youth teams. For most of the players, it was their first time traveling abroad.
When the stunning Allianz Arena in Munich came into view, with thousands of spectators cheering, it seemed that all their dreams about football had become more accessible. "It was dream come true," Luo said, whose voice was hoarse with excitement.
In addition to the opening match, the Chinese players played three friendly matches against youth teams from Augsburg, Munich 1860, and Rosenheim. "The result doesn't matter for them. What really matters is what they can learn from the match. In high-level competition, you have little time to think and make decisions, that's what they need to think about," coach Wu Zhongjun noted.
"This trip was an aspiration for me. It helps me realize that I am still far away from being a professional player," Luo said.
"In the future, we must work harder in practice and improve ourselves," she added.