"I have three dreams: to play for Chengdu; to be part of the national team and compete for my country; and to play in the top five leagues." In 2019, 15-year-old Mutalifu came to Chengdu from Kashgar to receive soccer training, Chengdu
soccer league
The Hibiscus Club has given this child, who is far away from home, the utmost care. For Mukta, the power of dreams is enough to help him cope with the discomfort of unfamiliar surroundings and homesickness.
At the age of 18 years and 112 days himself, Mutalipu scored his first goal in the
China Super League (soccer league)
's first goal, helping Hibiscus get its first-ever team
China Super League (soccer league)
Victory.
That goal, that victory, for Muta, who is only 18 years old, is just a small goal in his little book. The road to a professional career is still long, he said he will go on well and enjoy the scenery along the way.
◆Football: The team has regrouped, during the break, did you summarize the first phase of the game?
Mutalifu: I have summarized and also watched the game video, I feel that as a young player, I have to keep learning and accumulating. I think looking back, including previous game footage, helps us young players a lot.
◆The team's first campaign as a promoted team
China Super League (soccer league)
What was the mindset of you and your teammates?
A challenging mindset, I guess. In fact, facing the first
China Super League (soccer league)
We are still relatively confident for the season, after all, we did a good job of preparing for the winter training at the beginning of the year.
◆ What was the situation when you didn't play in the first half of the game after two consecutive losses to start the season, followed by six consecutive draws? How did you feel when the team was slow to get their first win?
The process of getting off to a bad start, followed by six straight draws, was a difficult one for everyone, and we regretted not getting the win earlier. However, we didn't give up and always thought we could get our first win, so we took every training session and every game seriously. I didn't play in the first 5 rounds because I got injured when I arrived at the tournament, and I've been recovering from treatment. After I came back from injury, the head coach gave me a chance to make my debut very soon, so I'm very grateful to him.
◆ You're new to the team, the team is new to the team, and approaching the new season
China Super League (soccer league)
What are the similarities and differences between the attitudes and self-requirements of the
As you can see, never give up, do every step well, and give more than others, these are our attitude towards the new season. Personally, I would like to cherish every minute and every second on the field, handle every ball well, show the energy and toughness of the young players, and do my best to help the team get every point and every win.
◆ What experience have you and the team gained from the first stage of the tournament?
For me, I'm interested in
China Super League (soccer league)
There was an initial adjustment to the pace of the game, as well as an improvement in self-confidence after playing a few games, a couple of which were starts, and scoring goals.
◆ Actually, the team is also undefeated for 8 rounds, did this score meet your personal expectations?
I think it's okay to get this point and ranking after a bad start. But you can't be complacent, you have to set your goals a little higher, do well step by step, and get closer to it step by step.
◆Football: How has being promoted to the first team this year been for you in terms of your career?
Mutalifu: I was first transferred from the U17 ladder to the reserve team, and after a month in the reserve team I was transferred to the first team, for which I am very happy and honored. It's a great start to my career and the realization of my aspirations. I hope I can work hard here and make my other two wishes come true.
◆ has just come up to the first team and is in the team's first
China Super League (soccer league)
Having made his debut in the season, now that I think about it, were you nervous? Would there be any baggage?
The nerves are still there, but more than the nerves is the excitement that I realized the kicks
China Super League (soccer league)
The desire to do so is just delightful and exciting.
◆ In the opening stage of the league, the foreign players arrived late and the lineup was not very complete, do your domestic players have to bear a heavy responsibility?
I don't think the responsibility is divided between foreign and domestic players, because soccer is a team sport, so we should all take the responsibility together.
◆You and Hu Huotao are the youngest in the team, does Xu Zhengyuan have any special requirements for you in daily training and games?
The head coach is just letting us play boldly, and when we play, there will be different technical and tactical arrangements for different opponents. Hu Huotao and I are both stepping into a professional game for the first time, which is also the highest platform in China. The head coach and teammates gave us a lot of encouragement, both in training and before the game, so that we can be more confident and more open.
China Super League (soccer league)
In the 9th round, you scored the winning goal to help your team get their first win, what does this goal mean to you?
That game meant a lot to me, and getting such a goal so soon after making my debut did a lot for my self-confidence. I'm the youngest player on the team, and after the game, my older brothers encouraged me to let go and play more boldly in subsequent games.
◆ What did that game mean to your career, have you thought about that?
I haven't really thought about this one. I've just arrived at such a platform, and I know I still have a lot of shortcomings to learn and improve, so, I haven't thought about it.
◆ What is your biggest gain after the first stage? Feeling able to keep up with
China Super League (soccer league)
The rhythm?
The biggest thing for me is being more confident. I think it will take some time to get used to it because the tournament has only started a short time ago and I haven't played a lot. But I'm sure I can fit in quickly
China Super League (soccer league)
in the rhythm of the
◆Football: You said you have three dreams: to play for Chengdu, to be part of the national team and compete for your country, and to play in the top five leagues. Why Team Chengdu?
Mutalipu: I came to Chengdu three years ago.
soccer league
I felt that Chengdu is a very inclusive city, and then I said to myself that I must play for the Chengdu team.
◆ What was it like for an ordinary student to go out of Kashgar? You were still young, what made your parents agree to you traveling far away on your own?
I think it's a dream. When I was a kid, my dream was to become a professional player, and I thought that if I came over here, I would be closer to my dream and would learn more advanced soccer knowledge. At that time, our coach asked me to come over here to train and play, so I came out from Kashgar. Since I was a kid, my parents have respected my choices and when they learned that I wanted to go out, they agreed. There are four children in my family, I am the oldest, and there are two brothers and a sister underneath me. As the eldest son, I want to be a role model for them.
◆ What is the biggest difficulty of being alone in a foreign country? What keeps you going?
Being alone is quite good, it can cultivate my ability to live independently and learn a lot of things, because my parents are not around and far away from my hometown, many things need to be handled and done by myself. In fact, when I was a child, I used to help my parents do housework, especially for my mother. There were more children in the family, and the age difference wasn't very big, and very often my mom was too busy to do it by herself, so I would often help her with the laundry and dishes.
◆ Xinjiang has a number of players in
China Super League (soccer league)
Having played soccer and been selected for the national team, who do you admire the most among these seniors?
My favorite is brother Baitijiang. When I was in elementary school, he came to our school to take us to practice a few times, and he was the nephew of my elementary school coach. At that time, I thought that I must become a player like brother Baitijiang. I'm honored that I'm one step closer to that goal, and I hope I can work hard and become as good a player as he is.
◆ Do you think it is easy for Xinjiang players to play in the better soccer development area? What are some of the problems that need to be solved in this process?
The first thing is to learn Mandarin, and then it is to quickly integrate into the culture over here, which I think will help us a lot. And most importantly, don't give up when you encounter difficulties or get homesick, keep pursuing the dream you've always had and stick to it.
◆From being tapped and then now in
China Super League (soccer league)
Appearances, who are you most thankful for?
First of all, I want to thank my parents, they respect my dream, respect my choice, in Xinjiang, there are a lot of football better than me, but because of parental disagreement or some reasons, they did not come here to continue their dreams; secondly, I thank every coach along the way, I can walk on the stage of the top league today, can not be separated from their attentive guidance; and lastly, I thank myself for not being beaten by the difficulties, thanks to the I really like playing soccer, it has been a great success. I really like playing soccer, it has become a part of my life, and I can't get away from it.
