Last weekend, Chinese soccer star Guo Tianyu took a solid step forward on his study abroad journey in Portugal, making his debut in a young but promising game. In a recent interview, the youngster admitted that his debut still left a lot to be desired and expressed his gratitude for the support of fans and clubs.
On April 11, Guo Tianyu wore the No. 18 jersey and made his debut in the 29th round of the Portuguese Premier League match between Vizela and Braga. Despite his limited time on the pitch, he showed one shot on goal and a number of positive interactions with his teammates, a solid performance on the offensive end. On his debut, Guo Tianyu admitted that there is still a lot of room for improvement, "The adaptation period is long, so I feel like I have to take my time and move forward gradually. It's a relatively unfamiliar league, they play at a really high pace and level, and it's a rare honor to work on myself here."
Talking about the team atmosphere of the team, Guo Tianyu said that Vizela is a united team, "I am very grateful to my current teammates and coaches. They not only coach me during training, but also joke with me during breaks to help me integrate quickly."
As we all know, at the age of 16, Guo Tianyu was sent to Portugal by his club to further his studies. Joining Vizela this time is his second time in the Portuguese Super League, and compared to his first time, Guo Tianyu is now more mature in training and games. On April 17th, Vizela's match against Belém will start, and Guo Tianyu is working hard to get more chances to play.
"I haven't been here long and the head coach spoke to me two days ago and told me to stay present and be in the best shape for the next training and games. It would be great for me to have a little more playing opportunities and I will take one step at a time to get more playing time." Guo Tianyu said this.
Language is a key issue for players staying abroad. In order to better adapt to the environment, Guo Tianyu is trying to learn how to greet people, including the terminology of corner kicks, set pieces, sidelines and baselines in training, and gradually increase communication with teammates.
Guo Tianyu also gave some insight into his recent life, "We usually train in the morning and I get up around 7am every morning to go to the club. After resting in the afternoon, I will learn Portuguese. A lot of fans leave me messages, and some foreign students and local Chinese fans will come to watch games or training, I feel very touched."
Traveling from Taishan to Vizela, Guo Tianyu treasures this opportunity, "I'm very grateful to the fans in Shandong and the domestic fans for their support, and I'd also like to thank the club for giving me this valuable opportunity. I think it's not easy to come out, no matter how long it takes, it's a challenge for players. In an unfamiliar environment, facing an unfamiliar team and league, our ability is still to be improved, we must adapt and improve ourselves as soon as possible. Thanks to Hao and the club for giving me this opportunity, I will continue to work hard."
