Reporter Lu Mi reported On February 23, when Axon arrived at Chengdu Shuangliu Airport, enthusiastic Chengdu fans quickly surrounded him, and handed him a scarf and a panda doll, and his exhaustion disappeared instantly.
Axon thanked Chengdu Rongcheng for extending an olive branch to him, and he hopes to help Chengdu become a great team in his career. In an exclusive interview with this newspaper, he also calmly faced the tide of naturalization and the experience of failing to hit the World Cup last time.
As the first non-blood naturalized player at that time, he chose to return at this time, hoping to bring back expectations to the Chinese national team, which no longer seems to be expected by fans, to help the national team get good results in the Asian Cup, and to help the Chinese national team to compete for the World Cup - of course, before that, he first needs to have a good state and let himself really return to the national team.
It has been more than a month since he returned to China, during which time Axon trained in South Korea with the Chengdu Rongcheng team. Axon's efforts have made many people look at it. With the help of head coach Xu Zhengyuan, Axon's body recovered quickly, and he ate according to a special recipe for each meal, and his weight has dropped by four kilograms. Axon's competitive condition has also been well improved with the continuous opening of the warm-up game, and goals have followed.
◆"Football": After coming to the Chengdu team, I followed the team to South Korea to train, how did my body recover at this stage of training? How well has the game been adjusted?
Axon: First of all, I was very happy to have your interview. This time I went to Korea with the team to train, this stage was very successful for me, I feel that I have gained a lot from this trip in Korea, and the training arranged by the coach is also very valuable. Over there, through physical training and warm-up games, I feel like I'm in good shape and confident that I can succeed in this year's Chinese Super League.
◆How was the integration with the team during this time? What is the technical and tactical run-in?
When I came to this team, it was clear that the overall training atmosphere and the atmosphere of getting along with the team was very good. From the daily life and training of the players, we can see that everyone is a very warm family, and the players have become very good friends with each other. At the coaching level, it is undeniable that our coaching staff is very capable and achieved good results last year. On top of that, we naturally have bigger goals this year, so I really believe that I can be a good whole with everyone because I have a good relationship with the team.
◆Why did you choose to return to the Chinese Super League? In the past year, you have been away from the Chinese Super League for a year, have you been following the situation in the Chinese Super League?
In fact, my main purpose in returning to Brazil at that time was to rest for a while and take good care of my family. After a year, I am very happy to receive an olive branch from the Chengdu Rongcheng team. To repay their trust in me, I will also try to help this team with my more goals this year and make them a really great club.
◆In the current Chinese professional league, the income of players can no longer be compared with when you first arrived, returning to the Chinese Super League, feel that income is not your main consideration?
Money is not the most important thing for me, this time back to China, back to the Chinese league, my only purpose is to be able to return to the national team. I will knock on the door of the national team for myself through my performances in the league, my goals and my good competitive form. I just want to start the league as soon as possible, to be able to achieve my goal as soon as possible and to show the national team manager my determination.
◆When you first came to play in the Chinese league, Chengdu did not have a professional league first-team team, how did you know about this team? Did you see them perform in the league last season?
Last year, I couldn't watch every game of the team live, and because of copyright, I could only follow the relevant information of Chinese football through some videos or information software. The experience of Chengdu team throughout last year was very pleasant, I am very happy to have such a resilient Chengdu team in China, I was very optimistic about this team at that time, so I have been following the progress of this team in all aspects last year. Later, the Chengdu team was interested in bringing me in, and there were many contacts between us, and I further felt that this team is a very ambitious and competitive team, and in this regard, we can be said to coincide, because until now, I am still the player with the desire and ambition to win, and I am eager to hope that our combination can bring better results to the team in the new season.
◆You have been in big cities like Shanghai and Guangzhou before, what is the difference when you come to Chengdu this time? Do you know and like the city?
In the 10 years I have been in China, I have never been to Chengdu before, but I have learned about the city through some means. I know this is a beautiful city in southwest China and home to the national treasure Panda. In fact, I have heard before I came, this is a tourist city that many people want to come, it is an Internet celebrity check-in place, and after I came, I found that what everyone said was the truth.
I am sure that once I enter the city, I will slowly fall in love with it, and I hope that when my family comes here in a while, I can take my two children to see Chengdu again and visit this beautiful city. Working here during this time, I also felt the strong building power of the club, I saw the blueprint of our club's new base, I was very surprised, and I hope that I can accompany this young club to gradually grow, and I have an unforgettable fate with Chengdu.
◆Have any teammates introduced you to Chengdu cuisine and Sichuan hot pot?
My teammates and I went to eat hot pot fish once, and it was naturally very happy to taste a new delicacy, and it was an unforgettable experience. I think it's a bit spicy, but I like it very much, and overall I like the food and the city.
◆When you played in the Chinese Super League before, you were all European coaches. Chengdu Rongcheng's head coach Xu Zhengyuan is Korean, what is your impression of him? Are there any specific exchanges between you?
Coach Xu Zhengyuan and I have been getting along very well during this time, first we respect each other, then we usually make some jokes, and at the same time, he gives me a lot of tactical freedom in terms of competition, which is very happy for me. I am confident that under the leadership of Xu, our team will complete a successful season.
◆Now that the environment of the Chinese Super League is not good, and many big stars who used to compete with you have left, what do you think of the current competitive level of the Chinese Super League?
Everyone knows that in recent years, because of the epidemic, the global economy has deteriorated, so the entire football environment is not very good, but as the epidemic gradually dissipates, everything we are familiar with is returning, and football is slowly getting back on track. In fact, my return is a very positive signal for Brazilian players, I have many good Brazilian friends who are players, and after seeing my successful return, they also have a very positive desire to return or come to play in the Chinese league. I believe that maybe in another year, next year, there will be more good players coming to China, and by then, our Chinese Super League will be as prosperous as before.
◆You have helped Guangzhou Evergrande win the AFC Champions League, do you want to help Chengdu Rongcheng enter the AFC Champions League in the 2023 season?
It's been a long time since I last won the AFC Champions League in Guangzhou, and it's been a long time. We now have a clear goal to get a better ranking in this year's league. For me personally, my own goals are bigger, I want to compete for the league title. While the goal is ambitious and the competitors are strong, why don't we give it a try? Therefore, it is more necessary for my efforts and more cooperation from my teammates, and this year everyone is united to achieve this goal.
◆Before returning to Chengdu this time, you have a new life in your family, and you must be very reluctant to leave them. When you returned to China this time, what was the attitude of your family?
My family is very supportive of me to return to China to continue my career, but I miss them very much now. Before I left Brazil to return to China, another very important "gift" in my life was born, and I missed him immensely. It's been more than a month since I came to China, and we use videos every day to ease my thoughts. The current plan is that my family will come to China at the end of this month, and I hope that their journey will go smoothly and we can be reunited in Chengdu as soon as possible.
◆"Football": When you returned to China this time, you expressed your yearning for the national team, so during that time in Brazil, did the idea of returning to the national team always be in your mind?
Axon: Absolutely, my intention to return to the Chinese national team has always been very clear, including on any of my previous occasions, and I have not changed my position. My position of returning to the national team is firm and strong, which is also a very important purpose for me to return to the Chinese league this time. As you know, in the recent winter training, I have worked hard to improve my physical fitness, put in a lot of hard sweat, and I am very happy that I have made progress and scored in the warm-up games. I will be 34 years old this year, and I still believe that I can help Chinese football and the national team. What I hope is to help the Chinese team win more games by returning to the country and fight for the Asian Cup.
◆After the defeat of the last World Cup, the confidence of Chinese fans in the national team has fallen to the bottom, in this context, everyone also wants to know why you still have a vision for the Chinese national team?
First of all, China is a very good country, and secondly, when I was in the Chinese national team, the national team was also very good to me, so I would like to help this team. Indeed, we experienced a lot of difficulties and regrets in the last World Cup qualifiers, and because of this, I hope that I can play a perfect season in the league, play my best form into the national team, and strive for a good result in the Asian Cup.
◆You have experienced a lot with the national team, and you have also borne a lot of pressure, because in the fans' expectations, with the addition of naturalized players, the national team should have been the strongest, have you naturalized players also summarized the specific reasons for the failure of the World Cup?
We also recalled that it was a really difficult time and a special time, because the national team could not play domestically, it was all played in Dubai, which was equivalent to no home, all away, no fans, and felt a lot less company. In fact, we had some good games, such as the one against Australia, and we still played well.
From the perspective of naturalized players, we all want to help the national team make breakthroughs through our own efforts and abilities, especially everyone trusts us so much, but that period has passed, what we need more is to focus on the future, we all adjust all aspects of the state, Chinese football is back on track, all fans can come in to support us, I think at that time, the national team's combat effectiveness will be stronger, and our games may achieve better results.
◆Due to your physical condition, you have spent a relatively short time in the national team this time, can you briefly introduce the communication with the new head coach?
I knew before that coach Jankovic had achieved good results with the Asian Games team and I had a lot of respect for him. This time I just arrived in China, I went to the training camp of the national team, and I only stayed for two or three days. Because I know the specific situation of my body better, I feel that my physical condition at that time has not reached the best state, if I want to keep up with the training progress of the national team, I still need a while to recover, the best way is for me to return to the club to train first, so I told coach Jankovic about the situation at the first time, and he also agreed with my idea, so the communication between us is very pleasant, he is a very reasonable coach, and he also hopes that I will train hard after returning to the Chengdu team. Recover as soon as possible, come up with a good result, and then return to the national team to help Chinese football.
◆How long do you estimate it will take to return to the national team in the best condition?
First of all, I hope to try to find my good form by following the team at this stage of winter training in South Korea, so far, I think the effect is good, I also scored in the warm-up game, the coach also gave me a lot of help and support, I guess the next national team call-up, I should be able to call me.
◆Can you tell us what is your ultimate goal and ideal for the Chinese national team? What do you want to win for this team?
I think that's the Asian Cup, because for me personally, it's supposed to be a very important trophy in my career. I hope I can perform well this year, work hard with my teammates, and work together to win the Asian Cup for the national team.
◆As a Chinese international, what do you want to say to Chinese fans?
I want to tell all the Chinese fans that for a long time in the past, due to special reasons, our matches have been played away from home, and everyone knows that the results during that time were not very good, and as members of the national team, we also had more pressure in our hearts, but now everything has improved, we have the support of your fans, with the home stadium, we urgently need your company, I firmly believe that we can achieve good results with your support. I'm looking forward to enjoying the victory with all of you.
◆"Football": When you were the first non-naturalized player of the Chinese men's football team, choose China, choose the Chinese national team, do you still feel that this decision is correct?
Axon: I was very happy when I heard the news. As we all know, I have been relatively successful in football in the past 10 years, whether in Guangzhou or Shanghai, so whether it is now or when in the future, I have always felt that the decision to become a naturalized player is the right choice, although I regret that I cannot show my football in front of the fans in my country of birth, but I will not regret doing a career in a country that needs football development and helping them with my love.
◆Before that, did you expect that the status of a Chinese men's soccer player would bring weight to your career?
I am very aware of the weight that the professional identity of the Chinese men's football team brings to me. I know very well that, normally speaking, this weight actually means stress. In fact, whether it is in the national team or in the club, there is pressure, and I think the best way to deal with it is to do our best on the pitch to satisfy the fans, just like the Asian Cup after that, we have to give a good performance to be worthy of our weight.
◆Speaking of pressure, everyone's attention and expectations on your naturalized players may be much more than other local internationals, will that invisibly put you under more pressure?
Definitely! Since we are naturalized players, we have to have more responsibility on the pitch and we need to perform better on the pitch. Sometimes everyone will be more sensitive, such as some good news or some bad news, which brings us a certain amount of pressure, in fact, I think it is easy to deal with.
◆ Now the national team players, or your long-term opponents, or your former teammates, when you play side by side with them for national honor in the national team, how is that feeling different from when you were a foreign aid on the club team?
In my opinion, the two identities are not fundamentally different, because on and off the field, whether it is opponents or teammates, we respect each other, and I have become good friends with many of my teammates, especially my teammates in Guangzhou and Shanghai.
◆"Football": Since joining Evergrande at the end of 2012, 10 years have passed, how do you evaluate your experience in China in the past 10 years? What things make you happy?
Axon: The past 10 years in China have been the most important 10 years of my career, and it can be said that many of the happy years of my career have been spent in China. A lot of moments are very happy to think about now, because I've achieved all the glory that a player can get in a career here, and I'm happy to be able to spend such an important 10 years here. Now that I think about it, I was 23 when I came here, and now I'm 33 and I'm about to be 34. Even after 10 years, my original intention is still the same, I still want to play well, score more goals for my Chengdu team, and help the team become a better team in the Chinese Super League.
◆You have always mentioned that the Asian Cup is your ultimate goal in the national team, if the actual conditions allow, let you help the national team fight for the World Cup qualification, do you think you can?
Of course! I am always ready to contribute everything to the national team, but I still have to focus on the league in Chengdu this season, only if I have a good performance in the Chengdu team, I can qualify for the Asian Cup squad of the national team, and when we play well in the Asian Cup, I can say the next step for the national team to hit the World Cup qualifying goal. Of course, whenever the national team needs me, I will definitely do my best.
◆In addition to Chinese football, do you still care about China's economic development? Do you plan to invest, buy a home or settle down in China in the future?
In the recent stage, I have to finish my current job seriously, play football hard, and wait for the arrival of my wife and two children, and the focus of my life and work will be in Chengdu for the next two years. I don't know what's going to happen in the next two years, but right now I love the city of Chengdu and I'm sure something may happen in the future.