On February 23rd, heavy news came from China's soccer world as the national team announced its new training list, in which Barton, the forward of Tianjin Jinmen Tigers, was successfully selected. Shortly afterward, Tianjin Daily reporter Gu Ying posted an exclusive interview with Barton on his social media platforms. In the interview, Barton revealed that he is aware of the heavy responsibility that comes with being selected for the national team again, and emphasized that while avoiding criticism is secondary, leaving hope for the future is a priority.
In the interview, Barton said, "Although it had been revealed that I would be selected, I didn't receive the official notification until this morning. In the morning our team still has a training schedule, teammates may not know the news, I guess soon someone will come to congratulate me."
In the face of the current competitive situation, Barton said, "I understand our situation, but regardless of the environment, we as practitioners must not lose confidence. Personally, I'm going to give it my all. I'm sure everyone in the team wants to play the next two games well, and while it's important to avoid criticism, it's more important to leave hope for the future, otherwise the future of soccer will be more challenging."
Barton, who has been training with the Zimmen Tigers in Shanghai for nearly a week, expressed satisfaction with the team's preparations for this season, despite the recent cold weather in Shanghai which has affected the training conditions. He revealed that he has been training consistently over the holidays and is in good physical condition and training quite well. His primary goal is to fight to stay and be with the team for the final two games. According to the plan, Barton will travel directly from Shanghai to Haikou to join the national team. He also said that he will have a chance to meet coach Yu before arriving in Haikou. For him, the support from the coaches and teammates in the Jinmen Tigers is crucial, and he does not want to let down everyone's expectations. (Source: DD)
