Reporter Lu Mi reported that on January 10, Beijing time, Chinese player Wu Shaocong transferred to Istanbul Gusui City, a powerhouse of the Turkish Super League, and became an important member of the Liuyang Army. Born in 2000, Wu Shaocong stayed in Japan at the age of 18, and in just four years, he began the second overseas journey of his career and became the first Chinese male footballer to land in the Turkish Super League.
Last season, when Guangzhou faced a difficult period, Wu Shaocong, who was very emotional, chose to stay. This past 2022 season, he and the team have had a very memorable and difficult period, and the more difficult it is, the more it stimulates his potential. He made a total of 25 appearances and contributed 1 assist, and although Guangzhou could not escape relegation in the end, Wu Shaocong's excellent performance was impressive. As a defender, he ranks third in the Chinese Super League with 115 clearances and fourth among all Under-23 players in the interception list.
Compared with the first time to stay in the ocean, just to go out to look for the gap, this time, after experiencing the baptism of the Chinese Super League and the ups and downs of the battle for survival, he understood more about what he wanted, and if he wanted to achieve the goal in his heart, he needed to become a stronger Wu Shaocong.
◆Soccer: It's been a few days since I arrived in Istanbul, what have you seen and done in the past few days?
Wu Shaocong: After a few days here, I also saw that Istanbul is a city with a very strong football culture, and I also felt the fanaticism of the fans here for football. Because I've just arrived, I've been mainly getting acquainted with the team these days, and as for training, I've been doing some recovery in recent days due to physical reasons.
◆What was your first impression of this club? What about communication with the coaching staff?
First of all, it's a very professional club, and it's been on the rise in recent years. I'm just new to the city and I've felt the passion of every player and staff for me and how enthusiastic they are about their work, and the team is like a big family, waiting for me to fit in. As for the coaching staff, I have seen some of my videos before, and after I came, I also told me that I hope I can adapt to the rhythm and style of play of the team sooner.
◆Are there any players on this team that you are familiar with?
I know that he was a very technical player when he was a player, and now as a coach he is also very daring to use young people, as evidenced by the good results of this team.
◆After the end of the Chinese Super League, with your age advantage and last season's data, many Chinese Super League clubs favor you, why do you choose to stay in the ocean at this time?
In fact, the idea of going abroad to play football has been ingrained in me for so long, and when I feel that I am really ready, I can try to go out.
◆When you decide to go out and see, what kind of psychological construction have you done, and what difficulties do you expect to encounter? What is your biggest opportunity?
In terms of psychological construction, I have actually been there since I first went abroad. As for the difficulties, I think it may still be the language for me, I hope to practice English here, of course, I don't want to go out, so I stop there. I also need to change my personality, I belong to a slower personality, I don't like to take the initiative to talk to people, but this is a hurdle that must be passed to learn languages. Over the years, in fact, the biggest opportunity is joining Guangzhou Evergrande in 2019, and I have had a lot of opportunities to perform in those years.
◆Istanbul Gusui City belongs to the top three teams in the Turkish Super League, and the competition in the team is also very large, do you have any plans in two and a half years? It's what to accomplish at what stage.
First of all, I hope that in the second half of the season, I can get the opportunity, have a record in regular games, and strive to become a rotation player next season, which is a short-term phased goal.
◆You are the first Chinese male footballer to land in the Turkish league, they may not know much about Chinese players, what kind of face do you want to show through your performance?
I think it's more about showing the attitude of Chinese players who aspire to high-level football, because I want to be better and I feel that I need a high level of training, confrontation and football philosophy. I hope to show this attitude so that European teams and players and fans can see the spirit of our Chinese players, and also let domestic fans see the change after I went out.
◆What do you hope that through more than two years or more, you can bring to your career?
I hope that through these two years, I can quickly improve my level, which will give me the opportunity to go to higher platforms, such as the five major leagues. It's just that now everything is just beginning, I need to train every day and make myself fit with the coaching staff is the most important thing. In the future, I also want to fight for my position in the national team and have the opportunity to win glory for our national team.
◆"Soccer": In just the past few years, I feel that you have experienced a lot, what is the biggest change between this mentality of going out to stay in the ocean and going to Japan at the age of 18?
Wu Shaocong: Actually, when I was 18 years old, I wanted to go out and see, and at that time, I didn't think about setting any specific goals for myself, that is, to see what is the gap between our youth and Japan's youth football. Now after a few years, including coming back to play in the Chinese Super League, I feel that through these years of experience, I have a better understanding of football and a clearer understanding of what I pursue. Now I come out and stay in the ocean, hoping that I can establish myself in a new club.
◆The first time I went to Japan, although I didn't get an appearance, did I think it was worth going out to see in retrospect?
Of course it was worth it, because I had already proven myself to be better than the Japanese centre-backs at that time, so I entered Shimizu's heartbeat, and if it weren't for the injuries I had during that time, I believe I would have been able to play.
◆From your recent Weibo, you saw that you thanked the Guangzhou team, and when the team was very difficult last season, you chose to stay and help the team, based on what?
On the one hand, I still have a deep affection for the team, on the other hand, the team was also relatively short of manpower at that time, and I also wanted to exercise myself more by staying this opportunity. Although I have gained a lot of experience this year, I feel that it is not enough.
◆After paying responsibility and sweat, I still failed to help the team relegate in the end, do you also feel regretful?
Of course, it's a pity, not only because of our own efforts, but mainly because of the relegation of the team. I still have a deep affection for the Guangzhou team and am full of gratitude, because since I first joined this team, the whole team has trusted me very much and given me a lot of opportunities to grow.
◆Through the experience of this difficult season, have you summarized something from it?
Looking back now, if I had been a little stronger last season, some of the problems that happened on the field last season might not have happened, and maybe the results of this team would have been different. Therefore, I still feel that the most important thing is to become strong in order to achieve the goal in my heart.
◆You are especially grateful to the original coach Cannavaro, what kind of emotions do you have for him? Did he know the news of this trip to Liuyang?
I've always been very grateful to Coach Cannavaro because he has always trusted me. He probably didn't know about my coming to Turkey to play now, and I wanted to make him proud of his choice through his performance in the Turkish league and his future achievements.
◆You also know that Chinese football has faced great challenges in recent years, what do you hope to bring to Chinese football during your overseas career?
I want to try to improve myself, through my improvement in football, to drive something to the good. Especially at the national team level, when the national team needs me, I can always stand on the front line and give for the national team.