Various factors intertwined, foreign aid Dino's return to Zhejiang team road has long been slim. South African media interview, Dino frankly admitted: "The contract has been solved, I no longer return to the homeland."
He waved goodbye to Zhejiang, leaving behind 42 goals to become the top scorer in team history. South African star Dino, a man full of stories.
At the end of 2017, Zhejiang ushered in Dino. Wu Shao Koon, then vice president of attraction, recalled that he was always apprehensive about Dino's joining.
In October of the same year, Wu Shao Koon watched the video of the Champions League, and the performance of Karabakh Dino caught his eye. Unexpectedly, by the end of the year, Dino's name appeared in the Zhejiang team reinforcement list.
"Pure coincidence. A breakthrough player like Dino is exactly what Serge craves. So we quickly contacted him and he was interested in playing in China. The contract negotiations went well, but a Chinese club also wanted him, and luckily we were quick, or we almost lost out." Wu Shaokun recalls.
Referring to leaving the Champions League-level Azerbaijani champions to join Zhejiang in the Central League, Dino said, "I won almost all the honors in Azerbaijan, but I was eager for the challenge. Greentown's soccer philosophy fits me well, they value young players ...... I think it's a goal-oriented and energetic club, so I decided to come and play."
Foreign media had reported the story of Dino sleeping on the toilet for soccer, which Dino denied, "No, it's a complete fabrication."
Facing a follow-up question, Dino rubbed his forehead and put on a pained expression, "It's like the whole world wants to know this story, it's long, long, long, let me figure out how to tell it ......"
At the age of 18, Dino traveled to Johannesburg, South Africa to try out for the Platinum Stars youth team, a powerhouse in the South African Premier League. In Dino's eyes, it was the giants. "Platinum Stars knew something about me, and to join, it was a three-day trial - I was to train with the team, play with them, but take care of my own food and accommodation." Dino recalls.
Dino, whose home is more than 100 kilometers away from Johannesburg, simply couldn't make the round trip by train in time for morning training. Considering the cost, he chose to sleep at the train station. For three days of the trial, Dino slept at the train station. "The bench was a little cold, but it was bearable." Dino said, "But it wasn't a toilet, it was a train station bench."
Dino's father, an amateur player, gave Dino his first gift, a soccer ball. "The gift was meaningful, so I fell in love with soccer and started playing with kids when I was five or six."
Dino met tough opponents such as Chelsea, Atletico Madrid and Roma in the group stage of the Champions League. He recalled, "When you face such opponents, you get goosebumps when you go on the pitch and your whole body is excited. But once the game started, I gave it my all and played pretty well in these games."
Dino quickly integrated into the team, which is inseparable from his superb adaptability. Compared to some foreigners who have been playing soccer in China for many years and can only eat western food, Dino has long been accustomed to Chinese food. Interestingly enough, Dino ate a king's rumpus for his first meal in the base cafeteria. The club staff thought that he would be surprised and not adapt to this, but I did not expect Dino said: "Our country's turtle is actually so delicious!"
"I think Chinese food is totally fine, I eat everything. But if I had to say which dish is my favorite, I couldn't really say because I can't really tell what's what. For example, that noodle dish is delicious." Dino said. Later, when he found out, it turned out that that was Hangzhou's favorite dish, Piece of Szechuan.
On the field, Dino moves like a rabbit; in life, he's as quiet as a mouse. Do you know what Dino's biggest hobby is? Sleeping!
"I don't sleep much at night, I sleep a lot during the day." Dino explained. What kind of habit is this, sleeping during the day? Dino reveals an even more surprising schedule, "I start sleeping at 2 p.m., then I get up at 8 or 9 p.m., then later when I want to sleep ......"
