The 32-year-old naturalized international Axon joined Bar 2 side Gremio on a free basis. At the press conference, Axon expressed his hope to represent the national football team in the Asian Cup held in China next year and win the championship.
It is understood that Axon signed a "1+1" contract with Gremio this time, and he will wear Gremio's No. 9 shirt in the new season. His annual salary in Gremio does not exceed 5.7 million yuan, which may be less than what he earned in a month in the Chinese Super League.
On the topic of why he chose to join Gremio, Axon said: "I declined several offers because I didn't want to play for the rivals of the former owner Botafogo. I chose to join Gremio because it's a great club and this shirt is one of the prettiest of Brazilian teams. ”
Axon did not renounce his Chinese citizenship, he played for Gremio as a foreign aid.
Axon said: "Chinese fans love me very much, I hope to participate in next year's Asian Cup, I want to continue to help Chinese football, I want to play an Asian Cup in the best condition, and help the national football team win the championship." It's a pity that we didn't make it to the Qatar World Cup, but we still have a chance for the next World Cup. ”
Axon and Luo Guofu, two naturalized internationals, have shown loyalty to the national football team many times, but one of them is 33 years old, one is 32 years old, and the more introverted Alain is also 32 years old, and his age is really not small. Whether the national football team continues to let these naturalized veterans play the main force is indeed debatable. Of course, I don't know if Fernando, who played 0, can still play, and the three naturalized internationals of Axon, Luo Guofu and Alain are still much stronger than the local internationals in terms of personal ability. To give young players more opportunities, or to this group of naturalized veterans to fight for an Asian Cup, it depends on how the national football team chooses.