CAN MOVE TO MAINLAND CHINA CHANGE HONG KONG ATTITUDES? FOOTBALLER SHINICHI CHAN HOPES SO

• Dream switch to Chinese Super League title chasers Shanghai Shenhua can 'give parents and young players the dream of professional football'

Shinichi Chan hopes his dream move to Shanghai Shenhua goes some way to convincing sceptical Hongkongers that sport is more than just a hobby, and can be a career too.

Athletic pursuits in the city are traditionally relegated to secondary concerns, at best, as parents prioritise their children's education and other activities.

The 21-year-old Chan has already played in Spain, where he received guidance from boss Unai Emery, who now coaches Aston Villa in the English Premier League.

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But after swapping Kitchee for Chinese Super League (CSL) title challengers Shenhua, Chan said he knew he could not afford to "mess up" the opportunity to play at a higher level.

Chan is one of six Hongkongers playing in the top flight in mainland China, and said he hoped the number of those heading across the border would draw "more attention and sponsorship for the Hong Kong team, and for the local game".

"In Hong Kong, no one thinks being an athlete is a job, it is just a hobby," he said. "Hopefully, having more players overseas will strengthen the representative team, and let people know it is possible to play football for a living.

"From there, we can give parents and young players the dream of professional football, then Hong Kong football will grow. We have good players, and have shown we can compete with Asian countries."

A three-times title winner with Kitchee, Chan spent the second half of 2022-23 on loan with Spanish third-tier club Real Union, which is owned by Emery.

"I always joke that he is my good mate," Chan said. "He would come to the club whenever he had the chance. I didn't speak Spanish, so he talked to me [in English] about his experiences of going abroad. He is an amazing coach, but also a great person.

"[Spain] was a tough time. Few people spoke English ... I was far away from family and friends. But I still enjoyed every day. I learned to enjoy suffering, and knew it would make me a better player."

A proposed move to Wuhan Three Towns, after impressing at January's AFC Asian Cup finals, collapsed at the last minute "for various reasons ... the timing was off".

Chan said the disappointment had been tough to deal with, and he was grateful to Kim Dong-jin, the ex-Kitchee interim head coach, for lifting him out of his funk.

"We [Hong Kong] were in Qatar, with world-class facilities, and I thought I would go straight to Wuhan to continue improving," Chan said.

"A similar thing happened to Kim in his career. He told me, if I kept playing well, being aggressive, and thinking positively, then good things would come."

Seeing his mainland-based colleagues return to every Hong Kong training camp as "different players ... they had always improved", heightened Chan's desire to leave the city.

Still, Chan said it took time to settle in at a club that the likes of Didier Drogba, Carlos Tevez, and Tim Cahill have all played for.

"The players are better [than in Hong Kong], and the foreigners are from Europe, and still in their prime," Chan said. "It is way more intense, aggressive and physical, with more running, and more sprints. I will grow technically, and mentally."

Coming into a side that is already fighting for the title, means Chan's first job is to "gain the trust" of head coach Leonid Slutsky, who was formerly in charge of his native Russia.

And Chan said he would channel the "aggressive and fearless" approach instilled in him by former Hong Kong head coach Jorn Andersen.

"We are fighting for the title, so it won't be easy to get game time, but I am confident I can show [my ability] in training, and from the bench," Chan said.

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This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.

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2024-06-27T06:31:44Z dg43tfdfdgfd