Since July 21, 2021, Shen has joined the Celtics
women's soccer
, her overseas journey has spanned 300 days.
Shen Mengyu admits that she is no longer the same girl. At the age of 19, seizing the opportunity, she bravely put into practice the dream of staying in the ocean in her heart.
It was as much a microcosm of her playing soccer with the boys since she was a young girl, and eventually she stuck to her dream of playing soccer and chose the path of professional soccer.
During these 300 days, Shen Mengyu experienced the loneliness and confusion of being abroad for the first time, and also had moments of self-doubt.
Of course, there is also the joy of winning the League Cup with the team, competing on the park and growing up "lighter".
CNN Sports x Shen Mengyu
alone
CNS Sports: I remember you wrote during your championship celebration, "Thank you for leaving your home country and fighting hard for 132 days." Is there a lot of bitterness hidden behind this?
Shen Mengyu: Being alone in a foreign country, I sometimes miss my hometown very much, and the strong sense of loneliness is sometimes too much for me to bear. Due to the time difference, I could only video with my family and friends regularly, and for a while, I felt very sad.
When I was at home, everyone thought I was a little girl and sometimes took care of me. But when I first arrived abroad, I didn't understand many things, and it was really confusing to leave my comfort zone and come to an unfamiliar environment where I needed to re-adapt. There was no family or friends around to rely on, and everything needed to be taken care of by myself.
When I came here, I had some problems with my mindset, which led to poor form. I'm very hard on myself and sometimes over-drill myself.
For example, one wants to do well, but after making a mistake on the field, the frustration becomes very strong. Thinking about it now, I did think too much at the time, always striving for perfection, which actually made me play worse. Later I realized that it would be better to take it easy on the field.
During those days, my teammates kept encouraging me, and I talked to the head coach. They all told me, "You're actually very good, really don't doubt yourself." Then I gradually came out of it, and it was a kind of growth.
CNN Sports x Shen Mengyu
integrate into
CNS Sports: Now that it has been 10 months since you stayed in the ocean, have you gotten completely used to the life of staying in the ocean? What aspects have changed a lot compared to the beginning?
Shen Mengyu: Comparatively speaking, I have adapted better. When I first came here, I didn't even know how to ride the small train, the bus route, or where to buy food. Now that I'm a little more familiar with it, I don't have any problem communicating with my teammates and I've become more integrated into the life here.
My teammates and I have become more comfortable with each other. Since I'm not a very "social" person, I was a bit overwhelmed when I first came to the new environment. But now we're having a lot of fun.
I feel really lucky to be here. I've had a lot of help and my teammates have been very friendly.
For example, when there are any new tactical arrangements and training programs, they will check with me and ask me if I understand them. If I don't, they will ask the head coach to say it again, or they will do it and explain it to me first to make sure I understand.
My teammates would also supervise my English study and ask me every day, "What did you learn today?" Sometimes they also teach me some words and expressions.
And before that, when we celebrated the Lunar New Year, I invited my teammates over and cooked them a Chinese dinner with braised pork, shrimp, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, etc. There was quite a variety.
Thanks to the major food bloggers, many of the dishes were ready to go and were busy for about two hours or so.
I also received gifts from my teammates, including a painted tiger and a Happy New Year written in Chinese, etc. It was a very unusual New Year abroad.
CNN Sports x Shen Mengyu
incentives
CNS Sports: What other experiences have impressed you along the way in your stay?
Shen Mengyu: One game was played at the Park, the home of Celtic men's soccer, and it made a huge impression on me, it was particularly emotional. I remember a month before the match, we started counting down.
We had previously played on other courses and had never played on the park. When we heard we could play on this pitch before, our first reaction was, "Really?" Then it was the question, "Who are we playing against?" I think it was said before that only one game would be played at this stadium this year, so we all cherished and looked forward to it.
This stadium is huge and can hold a lot of fans. There were about 4,000 or 5,000 spectators at the game that day, much more than usual. It was especially different to play soccer. There were drums and gongs beating throughout the game, and they didn't stop for the whole game, which was an unprecedented treatment for us (laughs).
CNS Sports: previously with the Celtics
women's soccer
What does it feel like to win the League Cup? What does it mean to you?
Shen Mengyu: Since I made it to the finals, I naturally ran for the title, but when I actually got it, I still felt quite incredible, and I was thinking, "I really did it.
There was a big crowd for that final and it was a great feeling when we celebrated after the game by interacting with the fans and doing our signature dance.
It was not even a few months ago when I stayed in the ocean and I think it was a very good start. This championship is also a motivation that makes me want to win every game after that.
CNS Sports: Do you often have Chinese fans cheering for you live abroad?
Shen Mengyu: It's true that there are often, I remember there is a Chinese fan who is very cute and came to every game before. Later she was going back to her country, prepared a small book for me, which recorded my photos in various periods, very attentive.
My teammates were so envious when they saw it that they were joking with each other, saying, "Look at the other fans". There are also many Chinese fans over here who told me that they would definitely come to the game to support me whenever they have time. I felt especially warm.
CNN Sports x Shen Mengyu
courageous
CNS Sports: Somewhat curious, how did you get involved with soccer as a kid and go on to play professionally? Do you have a favorite player?
Shen Mengyu: It just so happens that the elementary school near my home is a special school for soccer, with a strong soccer atmosphere, and there are often many star players coming to campus to interact with us. I often played soccer with a group of boys at that time.
I do really like the feeling of playing soccer, it's a great feeling to be in a team where we work together for a goal and celebrate together when we win.
Later, after discussing with my parents about taking the career path, my dad was calmer and after analyzing some aspects, he let me make my own decision.
I especially like Modric, and when I was a kid I used to love watching the
Wu Lei (1979-), Chinese footballer
Kicked the ball when he was still in Shanghai Dongya period. At that time I thought.
Wu Lei (1979-), Chinese footballer
Really impressive, scored a lot of goals and felt like he was glowing on the field, every corner of the field, an example to follow. I also admire him for making the decision to stay away, it takes courage.
CNS Sports: What kind of opportunity did you choose to stay in the ocean? How did you take this step?
Shen Mengyu: The idea of staying in the ocean appeared in my mind a long time ago, I'm not the kind of person who is set in his ways, and it just so happens that Celtic has given me this opportunity, and I think I can try it out.
Before I stayed in the ocean, I discussed with my sisters in the Shanghai team the differences between staying in the ocean and playing at home, and carefully analyzed the pros and cons. At that time, the sisters also said that there is nothing that young people do not dare to try, young people should dare to do.
However, I still say that staying abroad is not for everyone, and you have to think about what you want before you take this step and then make a decision. For me, physical confrontation is an area I lack, and the league here is very strong, so I want to come and try to make up for my shortcomings.
CNS Sports: what are the expectations and plans for the future?
Shen Mengyu: No one doesn't want to wear "Chinese Red", I wish I could!
women's soccer
The national team's uniforms fight it out on the field.
However, now I still have a certain distance from my sisters, and to realize the conditions of this wish, I still need to further improve myself and continue to work hard!
