Romario signed the chairman of the Xinjiang CppcC Committee
International Online Report (reporter Hou Yining): In recent years, China has paid attention to the development of sports. Among them, the government's guidelines and policies for the football industry have attracted the attention of Brazil, a traditional football powerhouse. A few days ago, Former Brazilian football star and Brazilian Federal Senator Romario de Sousa Faria was invited to serve as Xinjiang football ambassador and accepted an exclusive interview with our reporter when attending the event in Beijing.
Romario and his party took a group photo with the leaders of the Xinjiang CPPCC
The 51-year-old Romario was the top scorer at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the 1994 World Footballer of the Year, scoring more than 1,000 goals in his career and being known as the "King of the Big Box". In his view, the development of a country's football industry depends on three factors, policy support, public enthusiasm and the development of youth football projects. Romario said: "The development of Chinese football already has two conditions. The first is a passion for football. Chinese are very concerned about football, and Chinese football clubs are able to bring in players from all over the world, many of them from Brazil. I was able to see Chinese passion for football. ”
Since 2011, Romario has represented the state of Rio de Janeiro in both the House of Representatives and senators in the Brazilian Parliament. From the perspective of government policy, he affirmed the development of football in China, Romario said: "Another condition that Chinese football already has is the policy support of the government. China has introduced a series of important guidelines and policies to limit the number of foreign aid introduced, develop women's football in teams at all levels, and carry out football education in primary and secondary schools. These initiatives are significant. ”
Romario's trip to China is mainly to go to Xinjiang as an ambassador for foreign exchanges of youth football in Xinjiang to investigate the development of local football. And he also attaches great importance to the role of youth football, Romario said: "I think what China lacks now is the development of youth football. I have been invited to come here this time to work with my colleagues in the Chinese sports industry to carry out China's youth football program. In this way, in four, five or ten years, China will not have to spend billions of yuan to buy football players from foreign countries, but will be able to cultivate a group of local football superstars. ”
Romario believes that China and Brazil have a lot of direct or indirect cooperation in the field of football, and there are many excellent Brazilian coaches and players in China's professional leagues at all levels. Romario believes that the cooperation between the two countries in football will continue to develop in depth, and he will also promote as much cooperation as possible, so that the two countries can become friends and partners in politics, football and other aspects.
Romario was selected for the Brazilian national team at the age of 21 and has made great achievements in football clubs such as Eindhoven in the Netherlands, Barcelona in Spain, Flamengo in Brazil, and Vasco da Gama in Brazil. In 2009, Romario officially bid farewell to his career as an athlete and joined the Brazilian Socialist Party. From football to politics, he interprets his career transition this way, saying: "There is a direct connection between these two professions. Whether it's football or politics, it's all about people. I'm 51 years old, retired from the team in my 40s, and I've been in politics for the last six years. Now, as a senator elected in the state of Rio de Janeiro, I am happy to defend the rights of the Brazilian people, especially the people of the state of Rio, where I am located. Today, Romario's senatorial term has passed two years.
He saw his tasks in the following terms, and Romario said: "First of all, I hope to complete the remaining six years of my term and improve the living standards of the people. It is my duty for parliamentarians to serve the people in all circumstances. I did this during my four-year term as a member of the House of Representatives; during my two years as a senator, I continued to work in that direction. In the next six years, I will work to improve the level of education and sports in Brazil, to seek the welfare of the disabled, and to improve the quality of life of the people as much as I can. I'm very confident about that. ”
Faced with the news that Romario had been thinking that Romario would run for mayor of Rio, he responded that he was more focused on the moment. As a senator elected by nearly 5 million Rio voters, he will give back to the people of Rio for their support and trust. Romario visited Beijing, Shanghai and other cities with flamenco clubs in 1995. Coming to China for the second time, Romario also felt the hospitality of Chinese people and thanked the Chinese fans who have supported him for many years. Romario said: "People here remember what I achieved, especially my performance in the Brazilian national team. This is very important for me. I'm happy. ”