On October 6th, Changchun Yatai guojiao Tan Long, who ended the football match of Hangzhou Asian Games, moved from Hangzhou to Dalian, seamlessly connecting with the national team and preparing for two warm-up matches with Vietnam and Uzbekistan. “As a striker, I am very looking forward to these two games. I hope to get more playing time and score goals in every game.” Tan Long said.

In preparation for the 2026 World Cup Asian region qualifier and the 2023 Qatar Asian Cup finals, the Chinese men’s football team announced a new 26-member training list on October 2, and head coach Jankovic made a substantial adjustment to the lineup, nine men’s Asian Games players including Tan Long were selected.

During the Asian Games in Hangzhou, 35-year-old Tan Long wore the No. 10 uniform of the Chinese men’s Asian Games team as an over-age player and wore skipper’s armband. From the group match to the quarter-finals, Tan Long played in all five games. It is worth mentioning that in the 4-0 victory over the Burmese team, Tan long played an excellent competitive state.

In the Asian Games, Tan Long wore the national football skipper’s armband for the first time. “In this young national brand team, I hope I can play the role of Big Brother and help young players play a good game together.” Wearing skipper’s armband, Tan Long turned pressure into motivation. “as the oldest player in the team, I should take this responsibility. Of course, for personal experience, it is also a touch. Thank the coaching staff and teammates for their trust in me.”

With its performance in the Hangzhou Asian Games, Tan Long locked a quota in the following new national team training list. According to the schedule, the Chinese men’s football team will play two warm-up matches with Vietnam and Uzbekistan in Dalian on October 10 and 16. Tan Long is full of expectations for these two matches and hopes to help the national football team win.