Real Madrid will play Dragon Team, a team of top Chinese players, in a show game at the Workers' Stadium in Beijing on August 2. Some Chinese coaches said they've profited greatly by watching the nine-time European champions' training in the Hongta Training Base in Kunming, capital city of the southwestern province Yunnan this week.

Li Huajun and Li Hui, coaches of the Yunnan Hongta Football Club, a member team of the A-league, are among the faithful fans of Real Madrid since the team came to the training base in Kunming. Referring to his feeling on watching Madrid's practice session, Li Huajun said it greatly widened his horizon, "I feel like a farmer who sees a metropolis for the first time in his life," Li said.

"It is a chance that comes probably only once in 50 years to see such a practice training of Madrid," Li continued. "This is really a rare opportunity because even if we go to Spain, we wouldn't get so closely to see their training. Every one of us, either coaches or players, will profit more from the Madrid's demonstration than from our own practice training. Therefore, I have been well prepared to observe and learn from them ever since I knew that they would come."

Li himself used to be a soccer player, and was once believed to be one of the six world-class "future superstars." As there were no professional players in China at that time, Li did not get a chance to give full play to his talents. Li was very much impressed by the high-level professional performance of Real Madrid.

"It is a on-the-spot lesson on what is the genuine professional football," he said. "The players started their training in the afternoon immediately after their arrival at noontime. However, we didn't see any of them show signs of fatigue caused by the long journey. They are genuine professional players."

Li admired the Madrid coaches too. "They arrived at the field 50 minutes before the training began, tidied up the field carefully and put the appliances in place, getting everything OK for the players to come. And the officials and their team physicians are also very professional."

Li said that the impact that the Madrid had upon him was profound. He found there was a lot that he and his Chinese colleagues could learn from their foreign counterparts.

Li Hui, instead, thought it was too early to draw a clear conclusion after watching three or four practice sessions. "I'd better keep silent. Since I am here, I should concentrate on watching their training carefully so as to learn more from it. When it ends, I'm sure I shall be greatly benefited from it."

Li Hui said he hoped he could get an opportunity to communicate with Madrid's coaches directly, as he knows a little Portuguese and the chief coach of Real Madrid is from Portugal.

It is reported that Sun Baojie will act as the chief umpire for the football match to be held on August 2 in Beijing.

(China.org.cn by Li Xiao July 31, 2003)