By Wei Yao

This summer serves up a long-await- ed sports spread for Chinese football lovers. As international matches were postponed or canceled one by one due to the outbreak of COVID-19， they had no ways of releasing their passion for the game. Subsequently， they are more than happy to see the UEFA European Championship and Copa América 2021 take place at roughly the same time after the lifting of various restrictions. Together with football fans worldwide， Chinese aficionados relished in the two major events. They gathered with friends in bars or restaurants， and talked about football and life over some barbecue and beer.

Chinese audiences tuned into the Copa América 2021 final on July 11 either on TV or online. The final， once again pitting arch rivals Argentina and Brazil against each other， was a penalty shot into the hearts of football fans. The teams core members， Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr.， respectively， are undoubtedly two of footballs biggest international superstars. Their corresponding teams therefore boast big followings in China.

When Argentina beat Brazil 1：0， winning the Copa América 28 years after its last triumph， its Chinese followers rushed to social media to express their congratulations and excitement. In 2008， Argentinas national team won gold in the Olympics， but in the years after suffered a series of setbacks， such as losing the 2014 FIFA World Cup final， and then losing to Chile in the Copa América 2015 and 2016 finals.

The UEFA European Championship would have taken place in 2020， had it not been for the interference of the coronavirus pandemic. The European matches generally attract more attention in China， given the quantity and quality of the teams， as well their commercial value. The last two remaining teams in the championship， finalists England and Italy， rank among the most popular football teams in China， with tens of millions of devoted followers each. Their large legions stem mostly from the two football leagues represented by these two teams being the most influential professional leagues among football lovers in China. The Premier League is widely recognized as the topnotch football league in the world， in terms of its professional and commercial weight. The Italian Lega Calcio Serie A， then， is even more attractive to middle-aged Chinese football fans， as Serie A was introduced to China in 1989， making it the first-ever foreign football league to be broadcast by Chinas TV channels， when todays middleaged fans were in their teens. Serie A was in its prime in the 1990s， showcasing some of the worlds best footballers of that era.