At present, the performance of the overseas legion of our football world is slightly gloomy, although Wu Shao Cong in the Turkish Super League's Istanbul Basaksehir team to wear the symbol of the core defender of the No. 4 gown, but the national youth U20 captain Efirdin Eskal's stay in the country's foreign career came to a screeching halt; Li Ming's son, Li Si Rong, is in a lower European league to find his own opportunities; and the Bayern loan to Austrian teams, but in the sub There is also Liu Shao Ziyang, who was loaned by Bayern to an Austrian team but has found it difficult to find a place in the second division.
However, in the face of the opportunities and challenges of the new era, the 00 players seem to be interested in breaking the traditional concept of "landing in the five major leagues", the pursuit of pragmatic, "can play on the field to play, more important than where to play." In the painstaking journey of a number of overseas players, not yet 20-year-old Jabo Diem's stay in Croatia's career is particularly dazzling.
"It's true that the road to stay in the ocean is not easy, but as long as you can endure the loneliness and integrate into the local culture, it's not really that difficult."
01 A small suitcase on a journey to Europe
In the U15 National Championship, Jia Boyan made a splash, scoring 17 goals in a single game; at the age of 16, he landed in the Chinese Super League, becoming the youngest debutant in the history of Shanghai Harbour; at the age of 18, he started his career abroad, and soon after playing in the second division of the Croatian league, he became the main player and was awarded the MVP. ......
From the national youth to the national youth, national Olympic Games, Jia Boyan in the 20 years before the age of hanging like a general. Many people have labeled him as "Wu Lei's successor".
"But I don't want to be anyone, I just want to be me."
Jia Bo Yan body has 00 after the unique bravery and self-confidence, but no arrogance, "I also have ambition, but only their own enough to reach the goal is called ambition, if even the opportunity is not, that is not called ambition, that is called delusion."
That thirteen year old boy set out from Luoyang to the bustling city of Shanghai with a love of soccer. Enlightened parents gave him the right to make choices in life, "My parents said the most to me: support." Although he is not yet 20 years old, Jia Boyan is already used to making choices for his own life.
From the Shanghai Lucky Star youth training team all the way to the Harbor first team, Jia Bo Yan to his teammates always feel a little "different". "Sometimes it is not easy to take a day off, everyone is ready to go out to play, to see him carry a pair of shoes and run to the training ground, we think it is always necessary to combine work and rest, so maybe his teammates will feel that he is a little bit out of the group." Familiar with Jia Bo Yan's coach joked:
"The kid is a ball buster."
At that time, Jia Bo Yan's youth team base is located in the westernmost part of Shanghai's Oriental Oasis, for the teenager, this is a soccer oasis, "the turf is particularly good, the conditions of the entire base is also very good, from the training ground is very close to basically get up and go to training, finished back to the canteen to eat, will not be because of the delay in the road.
There is no such environment in most clubs abroad." Talent, hard work coupled with dedication are the keys to Jabo Diem's success.
Ja Bo Diem Interviewed by Northwestern Watchtower
"You know, the Eastern Oasis soccer practice field is the most beautiful in the evening. Sometimes I'm by myself, a big field, a bunch of balls, a goal. The sun is setting, coloring the whole sky that near-golden red, and there's a green grass under my feet, which makes all my fatigue dissipate, and my whole being let go."
This picture accompanied Jabo Diem for a long time until the Harbour Club sent a contract for a first-team player. "I didn't seem to be very surprised at the time, and in my mind I probably expected that the contract would be my own sooner or later."
With the contract came a sizable salary bonus, and friends and family suggested he could buy a car.
"I've thought about it for a while, but I'm not interested in cars in the slightest, not as fast as the subway."
At the age of 18, through the cooperation between Fosun Sports and Seaport Football Club, Jia Boyan was fortunate enough to embark on the road to stay abroad.
Used to subtract to life, he departed from home to Croatia, only with a very small suitcase, "two sets of clothes enough on the line, the team jacket will be issued, enough to wear. I go wherever so, eat with the local actually have, many people will bring some may not be able to buy food locally, but I do not have too high requirements for food, life is also no special needs, if just a short-term outing, I basically a backpack to handle."
At that time, it seems to be the answer: the dream is heavy, so the bag is very light.
02 Living a running account in the loneliest of winters
At the beginning of 2022, Jabo Diem joined Swiss side Grasshoppers as a free agent and traveled to Croatian second division side Dubrava on loan. However, it was not until the end of August 2022 that he officially joined Dubrava due to visa and other reasons.
Here, Jabo Diem started from the U19 team, gradually gained a firm foothold, and successfully joined the first team. Everything seems to go smoothly, but in this process, he has gone through all the processes that players staying in the world must go through.
First arrived in Croatia, this beautiful scenery, lazy and happy country to Jabo Diem exudes its own endless charm, "a small cup of espresso, you can sit on the street for a day; the sea over there is as blue as a jewel, the entire coastline so long, you can sit there all the time to daze ...... "
But all of this is not for this 19-year-old, "I often think that they are really laid back." Despite envy, the goal-oriented and extremely self-disciplined Jia Bo Yan always sticks to his two points - from the rented house to the training ground.
Having just arrived on the team, not being able to play as a starter was expected, and for a long time, Jabo Diem couldn't even touch the door of the league, playing only a few cup games.
Time quickly came to December, the Croatian winter, the league break. Teammates have gone home and family reunion, due to the team vacation, Jabo Diem two point one line life was forced to suspend, stay in their own rented house, "that period of time is particularly impressive, outside the cold, the house also feel cold, other people are all together as a family, that is not lonely really unlikely."
But even when the team isn't practicing, every morning Jabo Diem insists on waking up at a regular time, making himself a breakfast, then cleaning up the house to go to the training ground, then coming back to make another lunch and take a lunch break. Due to the time difference, the time for video chatting with his family is only a little bit in the afternoon. Watch another live European soccer game or some highlights, and then it's time to make dinner, eat and then clean up the room again, "a clean living environment, will make me feel more comfortable." Fortunately, this period of time like a running gag, bring is not demoralization.
Jia Boyan used to put a small notebook in his room at the head of the bed, before going to bed he would give himself a summary of the day, "memory is not good, just use paper notes. Doing so, the next day I woke up to know what I should do this day to improve, what aspects need to be maintained, I will feel more motivated this day."
03 Opening new horizons with inclusion
During the quiet days, Jabo Diem also learned the local language and slowly began to observe the people and things around him in order to better assimilate into the Croatian soccer atmosphere.
Unlike the regular soccer atmosphere in China, European players and coaches are more accustomed to detaching soccer from their lives.
"The second I lose I fail, but it doesn't mean I can't experience joy the next second, and the next time I win back, I get that joy back. If the whole day is spent reflecting, then I've wasted half a day enjoying joy."
Characteristically, Jabo Diem admits that he likes the atmosphere, and his coach constantly encourages him: don't be afraid of failure, go up there and just enjoy the process, and completely allow mistakes. "Another example is that I think there is something wrong with this tactic, we will boldly go to communicate, and it is not what happens when you say it is not good."
as a result of
national soccer team
The ball for a long time backward, not many people go out, in the soccer advanced countries players for China also know very little, stay in the ocean players have to face some social problems, "for example, they will joke and ask me, you are a Chinese, in your country is not a lot of strange things will be used to eat?"
In response to such a somewhat uncomfortable-sounding question, Jabo Diem simply responded with a jocular comment that, yes, you are welcome to come to China sometime to try it, "Anyway, these words don't hurt you, they can understand, so they understand, and if they can't understand, then forget about it. Because one day, they will come to China, they will experience the greatness and modernization of China."
After a long period of hibernation, gradually, Jabo Diem's performance in the team became better and better, and his league appearances became more and more frequent, and he gained the trust of the head coach and his teammates.
What's more - seeing those fans in the stands holding five dollars a ticket and a glass of beer to celebrate, even if the language barrier, can bring themselves great joy and motivation, getting 300 euros can make him and his teammates excited for a long time, and even a victory after a losing streak, the whole team is crazy enough to "smashed the locker room"...... He realized that he began to really enjoy the joy of soccer, which is the love of the sport he always wanted to have the feeling.
04 "Think the 00s are young players and you've lost."
The outside world is accustomed to treating the young players who stayed in the ocean after 00 as if they were Chinese
national soccer team
The hope for the future of the ball.
But under 20 years old, Jia Bo Yan always said that he is not a young player, because he found in his own team, five, six starters are all nineteen, twenty years old, and then turn around to see the body has matured 05, 06 players to compete in the first team.
When you think you're a young player, you actually lose.
Because you feel from the heart, I am a young player, I go with the old players to compare, it is afraid of these people, in front of them coy ...... On the other hand, the young players may have an excuse to make mistakes, but you just blame it on the "young", you will never be able to change this mistake. can't change that mistake."
Speaking of the "rawness" of the majority of the post-00s, Jabot Diem was also concerned about a recent case of
Lionel Messi (1987-), Argentine footballer
Fans rushed into the arena in Beijing to embrace their idols, "There are strange scenes like that happening overseas, maybe for me, my focus is not on it, maybe it doesn't affect me when it happens."
Keeping being himself at all times is his credo.
same as
Lionel Messi (1987-), Argentine footballer
loyalist, he never thought of becoming
Lionel Messi (1987-), Argentine footballer
That kind of player, he has a clear definition of himself, "I want to be a player that my teammates and coaches and all the fans think you're capable of giving your all. Offensively and defensively, doing everything that needs to be done, a player who is like a soldier, who can do the dirty work and the fine work, who can score goals and assist. That's what I like."
Jia Boyan described soccer as his antidote, he gave this "antidote" a lot of explanations, is to go out to play, crazy to bring a sense of fulfillment, but also a little bit of small achievements of the sense of satisfaction, but also on behalf of the national team to go out to hear the national anthem of the sense of honor ......
After a season of staying in the ocean life, through the most difficult period of adaptation, Jia Bo Yan also has a clearer plan.
Next, Fosun Sports will continue to fully support overseas players, and Jabo Diem will continue to stay in Croatia to pursue his soccer dream; and nowadays, the support of national teams and coaches for overseas players has also made the 00s overseas players feel more at ease.
Jia Boyan said that he has no particularly ambitious goals, one step at a time, but the confidence in his eyes tells others that he is ready to stand on the stage of history after 00 years.
