Argentine midfielder Conca, who was the former first foreign player in the Chinese Super League and played for Evergrande and SIPG, is about to make a comeback, and it is understood that there are already domestic teams in contact with him. Many fans still have a deep affection for Conca and are impressed by his excellent skills and dedication. So, during this period of leaving the Chinese Super League, what did Conca do in addition to recuperating?
Photo: Conca worked for Shanghai Xinmin Evening News reporter Zhou Guoqiang
Tennis wins
At the end of the 2017 season, when he left SIPG and did not play football, Conca was not idle, he picked up the tennis racket and showed his previously unknown tennis talent.
In fact, tennis was Conca's hobby, and with the abundance of time, he began to receive professional training. His wife was also studying tennis, and coach Marquis was a professional coach, so Conca took him as his teacher. Marquise developed a training plan for Conca with three lessons per week, each lasting 3 hours. Marcos praised Conca's potential on the tennis court.
A few months after training, Conca signed up for an amateur tennis tournament in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and won the championship. "Dario (Conca) has a lot of tennis skills right now and he's in good physical condition. And he used to be a footballer, which also helps a lot to play tennis, he can cope with the pressure of the game, he also has a good understanding of the game, and knows how to put pressure on the opponent. Coach Marquis said, "Dario has a winning temperament. ”
Pictured: Conca won the amateur tennis tournament online map
In addition to tennis, Conca also loves golf. He told fans: "I've walked on the golf course, I want to learn to play golf and the sport has always been attractive to me. Now, I have more time to do what I love to do. ”
Friends think Conca is crazy, but in his own opinion, engaging in other sports is not to play tickets, but to regain confidence in life after injury, "I have to do something to beat myself, like when I play football, I hope to improve every day." 」 Now in another sport, I need to start as a beginner, I want to do my best, do every training, and then see what kind of achievements can be achieved. ”
To this end, Conca received golf training in the United States, "my skills are relatively poor, I only received sporadic training in Brazil before, after coming to the United States, I took the relevant courses, which helped me a lot." ”
The U.S. comeback is not going well
Of course, football has always been Conca's favorite. After a year of recuperation, Conca made a comeback to join American professional club Austin, Texas, at the age of 35. The team is a bit unfamiliar to fans because Austin was only founded in 2017 and is not yet a member of Major League Soccer. Conca joined in order to strengthen the overall strength of the team. In addition to Conca, the team also signed Brazilian star Kleber, who played for Dynamo Kiev. Due to the suspension of the North American Football League (NASL) due to the shortage of participating teams, Austin's North American United Football League (USL) was upgraded to the second level of professional leagues, and the team is expected to rush to the first level of major leagues as soon as possible.
The Austin club was very attached to the concatenation and elected him captain. In March last year, in her first North American United Soccer League, Conca appeared in a green and white stripe and was replaced after playing 78 minutes. In the end, Austin drew 0-0 with his opponent. The score team was satisfied, after all, the opponent had 17 shots on goal. More than 8,000 spectators came to the scene to watch Conca's U.S. football debut, and fans were impressed by Conca's set-pieces.
Picture: Conca only played for Austin FC for 5 months
But five months later, Conca's honeymoon with the new army of Austin was over. Apparently, here, he is no longer the "king of celestial bodies", and after putting on the Austin jersey, the Argentine only played 3 games for the team in total, giving 1 assist. Conca originally chose the team in the second division of the United States, but also considered as a transition after recovering from injury, waiting for a better opportunity to make a choice. But his status did not meet the expected requirements. In its termination statement, the Austin club thanked Conca for his help to the team and hoped he would find new playing opportunities. And now, Conca, who did not accept defeat, waited for a new opportunity. (Chief reporter of Xinmin Evening News, Jin Lei)