BEIJING – Season two of "Football Dream" has reached a climax on the pitches of the Chaoyang Sports Centre. The crowning of four winners signalled the end of a long and meticulous selection process which evaluated the top Chinese talent from five cities.
In attendance were two ex-Inter players, who were back in the Far East just a month after the Inter Forever China Tour: Massimo Paganin, who had already taken part in the summer sessions of Football Dream, and Mohamed Kallon, who is very familiar with Chinese football, having played for Xi’an Chanba in the latter stages of his career.
The winners were chosen after a series of final tactical and technical tests and five-a-side matches. Also present for the ceremony were Gary Mabbutt and Steffen Freund, in representation of Tottenham Hotspur, the other club involved in the reality show. David Ginola, a Football Dream ambassador, was also in attendance, alongside three legends of Chinese football: Shao Jiayi, Gao Leilei e Li Jinyu.
A reality television show of the process, which is sponsored by the Chinese Ministry of Sport, will be first broadcast in mid-December and run through until February 2015. It has generated great interest from the Chinese press, which has been keeping a close eye on all developments.
