A photo posted on Ma’s official Xiaohongshu account in May, announcing his departure from China to the United States, drew more than 100,000 likes and 18,000 comments.
“He’s going to compete in the World Cup all on his own,” said one user on Xiaohongshu.
Some fans have even admitted that they watched the match between Curacao and Ecuador just to see Ma in action.
“I have never even heard of these two places,” wrote one user. “Of course, if not (for Ma), who would be watching this match?”
A user named Jackie shared that he got emotional from watching Ma on the field. “I got really emotional the moment Ma Ning stepped on the pitch and blew the whistle to start the match … He really was glowing.”
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