Recently, Andrigo, a Brazilian foreign player of Chengdu Rongcheng team, posted an all-Chinese New Year greeting video on social platforms, which has become a highlight in the football world. He expressed his love for Chinese culture and New Year greetings in fluent Chinese, demonstrating extraordinary language learning skills and respect and enthusiasm for Chinese culture. This is not only a tribute to Chinese culture for a foreign athlete, but also a vivid example of sports exchanges transcending national borders.
In the video, Andrigo calls himself "Brother Li": "Hello everyone, I am Brother Li, I wish everyone a happy New Year, all the best, happiness and health, the Year of the Dragon, good things are continuous, goodbye!" He used eight fluent Chinese greetings to show his mastery of Chinese and deep feelings for Chinese culture. His Chinese pronunciation is clear and fluent, and he has obviously studied and practiced carefully. As a former player of the Brazilian Under-17 national team, he not only has a good performance on the pitch, but also actively strives for cultural integration.
Since joining Chengdu Rongcheng in July last year, Andrigo has contributed three goals and four assists in 13 games in the Chinese Super League. As an all-round midfielder, he is widely recognized for his skill and vision. More importantly, at the age of 28, he is fully qualified to become a naturalized Chinese player in the future. His football skills and love for Chinese culture have made him the core foreign aid of the midfield that the Chinese Football Association should prepare for in advance and must retain.
Not only that, Andrigo shared videos and photos of himself learning Chinese through social media, and also visited famous Chinese attractions such as the Great Wall and the Temple of Heaven with his girlfriend. They have said many times that Chengdu has given them a sense of home and that they have fallen in love with the city. This kind of in-depth cultural experience and integration is exactly what the national football team values when seeking to naturalize players.
Combined with Andrigo's personal performance and his love of Chinese culture, it's not hard to see that he is a perfect candidate for naturalization. Not only does he have an outstanding contribution on the pitch, but he is also a positive example of cultural integration. The Chinese Football Association should seize this opportunity to retain such a core foreign player in the midfield who truly loves China and can help improve the competitive level of the national football team. (Lao Qiu Super League Ball Review)