On April 8, Chengdu Chengdu FC officially announced that naturalized player Eckerson joined the team. In an interview with Soccer Night, Ackerson talked about the reasons for returning to the Chinese Super League.
--Talk about joining Chengdu Hibiscus
AIXON: As a matter of fact, when I left China, I received a request from a Saudi Arabian club. At that time, I didn't want to continue playing soccer. I had the idea of retiring. Then, I returned to Brazil to rest for about two months. Then, when I received a two-year contract from Gremio, I chose to play for one year first. At the end of last season, I received an offer from China and discussed it with my family. I decided to come back here when I still had the chance to play for the Chinese national team.
--Talking about loved ones thoughts
Ixon: At the end of last year, I started contacting Chengdu and then we started discussing plans to return to China to play soccer. At that time, my family was still a bit different. In general, my wife supported me. My parents said I didn't want me to come back after playing in China for so many years. But in the end, my parents understood my wishes and supported me. In the end, my family returned to China. Now I'm happy too.
--Talk about goals for the new season
Eckerson: I'm 33 years old. Ten years ago, when I first came to the Premier League, I had high expectations for the whole future. After coming here, I won't change from before. I want to get more goals and records. I also got to know the team, including the last three games of last season. The fans are very passionate and give the team a lot of support and a lot of ambition. It's OK to have a chance to win the title. The club is as ambitious as we are. This year will definitely be difficult. We can't lose the heart to fight for the title. Of course, as a striker, we are eager to score more goals and we still want the team to work together towards that goal.
--Talking about the national team
AIXON: First of all, I will do my best to get better performances at the club to get me back to the national team. To be honest, when I was selected for the national team for the first time, my performance in the first few games didn't meet my own expectations. I hope that if I have the chance to play in more important matches and get more goals, because that's one of the main reasons why I came back to play in China and fulfill what I wanted to accomplish before. First of all, the most important thing is the Asian Cup, I will do my best to play in the Asian Cup, and if I have the chance to play in the next World Cup qualifier, I will do my best because in the last part of my career, it will be the perfect ending and the biggest gift for the fans and the country.
