Since Andrigo's arrival in Chengdu Rongcheng, he has quickly assumed the role as the mainstay of the team's midfield. After 13 rounds of intense league play, the Brazilian midfielder has not only scored 3 goals, but also assisted 4 times to help Rongcheng rise to the fourth place in the league, which is an immeasurable contribution.
However, going into this season, with Romulo making a kingly return after an injury-plagued campaign, Andrigo's place in the lineup began to look delicate. South Korean coach Seo Jung-won clearly favored Romulo, providing him with more appearances. Despite Romulo's return to action last year due to a serious knee cruciate ligament injury, he has continued to show impressive form this season. In the past 16 rounds of the league, Romulo has scored 5 goals and contributed 6 assists, once again emphasizing his position as the heart of the team's midfield.
Romulo's strong return has put tremendous pressure on Andrigo's playing time. The two have similar styles on the pitch and find it difficult to coexist. Xu Zhengyuan has tried to play them together, but the double front pairing of Romulo and Andrigo did not work out well in Chengdu Rongcheng's match against Shanghai Shenhua.
In the face of this situation, Xu Zhengyuan had to make way for Andrigo, making Romulo the team's main striker. This season, although Andrigo only played 9 rounds of CSL matches, he still contributed 2 goals for Rongcheng.
In a bid for more playing opportunities, Andrigo finally decided to bid farewell to Chengdu Rongcheng. Romulo also announced his departure after Rongcheng's 2-1 win over Jinmen Tigers. Recently, Rongcheng's music department announced that it had canceled Andrigo's eligibility for the Chinese Super League. The Brazilian midfielder will return to South Korea to join Pohang Ironmen in the K-League.
Yan Dinghao is expected to fill the vacancy left by Andrigo after his departure. The midfielder, who used to play for Guangzhou Evergrande, is not only capable of playing as a midfielder, but also has the flexibility to switch to the winger position, and his attacking power is comparable to that of Andrigo.
It was reported that Andrigo officially set off for South Korea on the occasion of naturalized player Ekerson's birthday celebration, and many Rongcheng fans went to the airport to see him off. We wish Andrigo the best of luck in the K-League, and hope he can prove himself with goals and assists, and look forward to returning to Hibiscus next season to shine under Seo Jung-won.
