In an interview with Football Weekly on March 15, Zhejiang player Wang Yudong, who recently won the 2023 China Golden Boy Award (U17), talked about his growth experience and looked to the future.
As a promising young player, do you have any plans to study abroad?
Of course, I want to go to a high level league to get in shape. I also have plans and expectations to go abroad. As we all know, overseas tournaments are very fast-paced. Needless to say, I was impressed by the top five European leagues. I remember when I played away against Kofu Kazehashi in the group stage, although they were only a Japanese second division team, their speed and pace were significantly faster than some Chinese Super League teams. The match was very intense and a great workout. Since there will be a National Games next year, I would like to represent the Zhejiang team in the tournament, so if I have the chance, I can go out next year. I believe the experience of studying abroad can help me improve faster and more.
Most of the Premier League strikers are dominated by foreigners, which is a very tough challenge for you, isn't it?
As a striker, I like the feeling of scoring goals. In fact, every position in the Chinese Super League has very fierce competition. I will face such challenges. After coming to the first team, my big brothers in the team are helping me to adapt to the rhythm of the Chinese Super League as soon as possible. In addition, I will communicate more with the foreigners in the team and learn from them. I am confident that I will stand firm in the Chinese Super League.
Through your outstanding performances in Asian competitions, your name is known to many fans. Does it put more pressure on you to go from obscurity in the past to some attention?
It's a joy to have some fans recognize me, and it shows that my efforts are being recognized. I don't think being noticed is a pressure. On the contrary, if I don't score goals, I'll let the fans down
Looking forward, I will feel bad for the fans. I will use all this attention as motivation and incentive to try and raise the bar and not let the fans down.
The general environment of Chinese soccer is not ideal now, do you have confidence to get out of the doldrums with Chinese soccer?
Chinese soccer may have encountered difficulties in many aspects, but as a soccer player, the more time passes, the more we should keep moving forward and believe in ourselves and the future of Chinese soccer. The current environment requires our generation to strive for a better future, so I will keep playing soccer and believe that Chinese soccer can get out of the doldrums.
