On March 20, Xu Junmin from Shanghai Lucky Star will return to Nantong Zhiyun again in the new season, but this time, he will stand on the stage of the Chinese Super League. Last year, Nantong Zhiyun entered the Super League with Kunshan and Qingdao Hainiu. He chose to continue his frontline with Nantong Zhiyun after his contract with the Kunshan team expired before the team was assembled. In an interview with Oriental Sports Daily, Xu Junmin revealed how he felt playing in China's first division and returning to Nantong Zhiyun.
It's been ten days since we returned to Nantong Zhiyun. How are you feeling?
I'm feeling good. Everything here is familiar to me because I've been here before, so I'm settling in fast. I've been back for over ten days now. Now I'm practicing twice a week and the other time I'm practicing once a day. Next, we will have more warm-ups. It's still difficult for me. To be honest, due to some objective reasons, I took a break. Although I keep working out at home, it's totally different from team training. After so many days of training, I think I have almost recovered and lost a lot of weight because of the relatively large amount of workouts.
Can you talk about what brought you back to Nantong Jiyun?
I think Nantong Zhiyun is now a better and more professional platform. They are very stable now, they don't owe wages and they are back in the Chinese Super League. As a matter of fact, my contract with the Kunshan team had ended and a senior management of Nantong Zhiyun came to me and asked if I would like to go back. I thought about it and then went back to Nantong.
What have you gained from your years in the Central League?
In fact, the most rewarding thing is confidence. You should know how important confidence is to professional players. Standing on the court, I don't panic as much as I used to. In addition, my experience and reading ability have improved with more matches. To be fair, I have become more mature in the China First Division in recent years. On the one hand, I have more chances to play, on the other hand, I am getting older and more mature. Now I think I went to Shenxin from such a big club as Shenhua. I think this choice is very right. I can get more chances to play in the Chinese First Division, which is very important for my age group.
Now that you're back in the Super League, are you confident?
What I needed most at that time was to play matches, not to waste time on the bench. More and more matches, my self-confidence would improve and I would gain experience. Then I went to Nantong and I went to Kunshan. Slowly, I felt I could get a foothold in the first division. Then we surpassed it last year. Of course, I think I've reached the ability to play in the Chinese Super League.
What do you think is the reason for Quinsam's Super League run?
I think our teammates have the same goal, everyone is very united and have a common goal, we will work together, we just want to win the championship, our hearts work hard. In addition, I think our teammates are still very strong, the best in China, this is the hard power that we surpassed, and of course, thanks to the leaders, coaches and logistic staff for their selfless dedication to us.
How does it feel to be a Central League Champion?
I am very happy because the meaning of the championship is different for me, it is the joy of the championship. Of course, the most important thing for me is that I can play in the Chinese Super League in the new season. After five years, I can appear on the stage of the Chinese Super League again and I can have the chance to prove myself again. This makes me very excited and more than that, it makes me feel anticipation.
How do you rate head coach Salko after two seasons playing for Kunshan?
As a Spanish coach, he is very focused on transmission and control, with high technical and tactical demands. He asked us to control the game and was very subtle with our technical demands. On the pitch, he has high demands on our training matches, but off the pitch he is really a very friendly and kind coach who is completely different on and off the pitch.
