Football Bridges Friendship Shaanxi youngsters gain growth in Africa

During the 2026 "The Thousands of Miles on the Silk Road: Colours of Africa" cross‑border all‑media event, a youth football team from Zhidan County in Shaanxi Province traveled thousands of miles to Africa. On the football pitches of Nairobi, Kenya, the young players competed with local teenagers and shared the sheer joy of football.

Cao Menghui, goalkeeper of Shaanxi's Zhidan U11 Youth Football Team, competed abroad for the first time with great curiosity. He and his teammates played against local kids on an unregulated pitch at MCEDO Beijing School in Nairobi.

Lacking marked boundary lines and professional turf, the field did not stop the children from running freely and giving their all. This special football match has become a one-of-a-kind precious memory in their growth journey.

Zhao Guoshuai, a player of the Zhidan U11 Youth Football Team, shared, "I have never played on a pitch like this before. My heels hurt after the game, yet I had an amazing time. I feel really reluctant to leave as we are about to head back home."

Benedict Kaggia, principal of MCEDO Beijing School, noted: "This is an invaluable experience. Our students bonded over football with Chinese young players, forging a long-distance friendship and laying groundwork for future youth exchanges between China and Africa."

Having successfully wrapped up the international exchange program in Africa, the Zhidan U11 Youth Football Team returned to Xi'an on the evening of August 10. All team members were deeply impressed by the warm, genuine and amicable local young players, from whom they had much to learn.   

"We will train harder and spare no effort going forward. Our fellow young players displayed impressive stamina and techniques, which we will carefully study and absorb. I will strictly follow the coach's guidance during training to keep improving," one team member shared.

Ren Zhigang, team leader of the Zhidan U11 Youth Football Team, remarked, "The most precious takeaway from this trip is our football shoes caked with soil from Kenyan pitches. They are the greatest treasure for every one of us. I believe with persistent hard work, these young players will keep breaking through and achieve greater milestones on their football path."