• Zhao Lina played 38 times for China during her eight-year national team career

• Zhao represented China in the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada in 2015 and at the 2016 Olympics in Rio

• Zhao played a key role in China’s triumph in the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup

Shilarze Saha Roy Zhao Lina is a woman who has defied all odds and emerged as the face of Chinese football. Standing at a towering height of 1.82 meters or 6ft, she is a commanding presence on the field. But, there is much more to her than just her physical stature. Zhao has her nickname, “Nana”, tattooed on her hand. It is also the name of a Japanese musical anime that had once prompted her to change the course of her life and become a musician. But despite her fascination with music, Zhao Lina never lost sight of her true calling — football. So it came as a surprise when Zhao, the Women’s AFC Asian Cup-winning goalkeeper of China, announced her immediate retirement from football on April 14, 2023. Her move came just three months before the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, leaving fans wondering what led to this sudden decision.

However, Zhao Lina made it clear that football was not the end of her life. “Thank you for the training of the national team and the Shanghai team; thank you for supporting me along the way; thank you for all the glory that football has brought me. I will not leave football,” she wrote on her official Weibo account. Growing up in a small apartment in Shanghai with her parents and grandparents, Zhao had to sleep on a sofa in her parents’ bedroom. Yet, she was determined to make a difference in her life and the lives of those around her. Football was her passion, and she pursued it relentlessly. Her talent and hard work helped her rise through the ranks and she made a name for herself in club football by playing for Shanghai RCB. Her domestic exploits would soon see her earning her a spot on the China women’s national team, from where she went on to make a mark in international football. Her 6ft height was a significant advantage, but it was her agility and ball distribution skills that truly set her apart. But Zhao Lina’s journey was not without its challenges. She briefly quit the national team as she battled injuries and the rigours of constant travel. However, she knew that her responsibilities and missions as an athlete were far from over. And though she was approached by a modelling agency and even had offers to play football abroad, Zhao remained committed to her home country, hoping to repay her parents for their unwavering support.

“I wanted to make more money so that my parents can enjoy living in a new house,” she had once said.

Zhao Lina played 38 times for China during an eight-year national team career, making her debut in 2015. She was a member of the squad that represented China at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada later that year and was also a part of the team that played at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Despite missing out on the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France, Zhao returned to the squad in 2022 for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, where she played a crucial role in helping her team win the title and qualify for the 2023 Women’s World Cup. However, her retirement now leaves a gaping hole in the team, with China set to kick off their FIFA Women’s World Cup campaign against Denmark in Group D in Perth on July 22. But Zhao’s story is not just about football. Her passion for music was also an integral part of her journey. She watched an anime named Nana and fell in love with the story of a popular punk rock band. This anime unlocked her musical talent, and she decided to try playing the drums. “I couldn’t resist the music temptation,” she said. “So during the weekends, I went out looking for a music teacher and started learning to play the drums. Besides my daily football training, I would spend much of my spare time learning and practising drum playing.”

Zhao’s progress in music was remarkable. Years of consistent training saw her become an accomplished drummer. She even played drums for her team during matches, earning her the nickname “the Drummer Goalkeeper”. “Being a goalkeeper requires responsibility because you are guarding the net of the team. It is an important place although you often spend the majority of the match watching the backs of your teammates,” Zhao Lina was once quoted as saying by AFC. “It is similar as a drummer. It is the singers who receive the ovation, but as a member of the band, a drummer should focus on playing and doing the job well. It also requires responsibility.” As she moves on to the next chapter in her life, Zhao leaves behind a legacy that will inspire generations to come. She may be retiring from football, but she wants to use her stature and influence to raise the profile of women’s football in China. She hopes to inspire more young girls to take up the sport and experience the joy of running on the football field.