Interview with An Yongjia: There is a big difference between the Chinese Super League and the Chinese League I want to be one of the best local goalscorers

Reporter Lu Mi reports In the two most critical relegation battles of Shenzhen Xinpeng City in the 2024 season, An Yongjia scored consecutive goals and teamed up with Kartsev to retain the team's qualification for the Chinese Super League. Such a performance, such a key goal, made him have an unforgettable memory in his first Chinese Super League season.

As the star of the Hong Kong team, An Yongjia crossed the ocean at the age of 14 to explore the path to becoming a professional footballer. In the 2022 season, he landed in the mainland league, started from the Chinese League, sought to break through himself, and soon landed in the Chinese Super League. In his first year in the Chinese Super League, after experiencing countless difficult moments and unexpected gaps, he seized the opportunity and helped the team.

That's not enough, and in an interview with us, An Yongjia said that his future goal is to become one of the best homegrown goalscorers.

◆Football: After the league, you went to Europe for a vacation, how did you arrange your vacation?

Ernst & Young: I spent some time in Portugal and the UK, I was travelling to Portugal for the first time, and then I spent another five days in London, mainly to relax and meet friends and family over there.

◆After a very difficult season, are you also reminiscing about this relegation journey during the holidays?

I'm not one of those people who thinks too much about football during the holidays, so I take a break when it's time to rest. It's been a lot of difficulties this past season and everyone is under a lot of pressure, so I'd like to take advantage of this short break to take a good break because I'm going back to Hong Kong, China to prepare for the international competition.

◆You are competing in the Chinese Super League for the first time, what kind of mentality did you start the 2024 season?

I came to the Chinese Super League mainly to show my ability, because I did well in the Chinese League last year, and I want to land in the top league with such a good form. I was very well prepared and in good shape, because I had just finished the Asian Cup, and I felt that I was ready to play on the highest platform in Chinese football.

◆After the whole season, the team's results are not very good, especially when you can't win for a long time, how do you feel as one of them?

Shenzhen Xinpeng City has had a lot of difficulties as a promoted horse throughout the season, and I myself feel that this season is not easy because I don't have many opportunities to play. When we encounter difficulties, we all insist on training well every day, staying in good shape, even if the situation is difficult, we don't have a day to relax, and we want to win every game, no matter who the opponent is. So in the last three key games, everyone saw that we had improved.

◆The team then fell deep into the relegation zone, how did you bounce back then?

The previous six consecutive defeats in the league can be said to be the most difficult moment, in fact, the confidence of the whole team, including the dressing room, was affected to a certain extent, and the atmosphere was not the best. But at that time, the team was still as united as possible, because everyone thought that we were a unit, and the most important thing was that the team members had always gotten along well, and through the common experience, we had established a deeper friendship, so more often than not, the players were thinking about fighting for each other and fighting for the collective.

◆With three games left and the club started a change of manager during the break, what did that break mean to you? What did you do to prepare for the last three games?

At that time, the change of coach also meant that there was a turning point, and the new coach Latanzio brought us a lot of help, including a new environment, a new plan, and his own new ideas. He first adjusted our defensive strategy, conducted targeted training for the shortcomings of the previous game, emphasized the importance of defense, and did not give the opponent a goal in any game, he actually knew that the forward line was capable of scoring goals, so he first solved the defensive problem. As it turned out, his request really helped us on the pitch.

◆After a hard season, the team finished relegation in the last round, how did you feel at that moment?

It was really fun at the time, only we know that the further we get to the end of the game, the more pressure we have. We didn't want the club to be relegated, so when we got on the pitch everyone put down the pressure and put our best foot into the game, so that we could have a successful result in relegation. Until that moment really came, the pressure in my whole mind and heart was released.

◆How would you personally sum up the team's first Super League season?

Ernst & Young: We didn't succeed until the last minute, which is probably something that many people didn't expect at the beginning of the season. In the final stage of our relegation, everyone's emotions were very high, mainly because everyone knows that football is very important to the city of Shenzhen, and it is also a very important project for the city group. Our goal this year is to keep the team in the Super League and continue to compete in the highest league next year.

Although this year has been very difficult, I believe that in the long run, it is a good experience and journey, and only by experiencing the most difficult moments will we learn how to deal with it, so as to grow, and sprint for better goals in the future.

◆This season is also your first Chinese Super League season, which is completely different from playing in the Chinese Super League, right?

I knew there was a big difference between the Super League and the Chinese League, but I didn't expect the difference to be so big, and when I first arrived, I felt like I needed time to get used to it. For example, in the Chinese Super League, when there is a ball, the ball holder does not have time to choose, and must react at the first time. The defense of the Chinese Super League teams is generally much better than that of the Chinese League, and as a striker, it is more difficult to score goals in the Chinese Super League than in the Chinese League. And the overall confrontation is also a little stronger.

◆In the Chinese Super League, the position of the striker is generally occupied by foreign aid, is there any psychological construction in this regard? How do you ensure your competitiveness?

I know that most of the teams in the Chinese Super League are foreign players in the forward position, and after playing in the Chinese Super League, many people have told me that I may not have too many opportunities to go to the Chinese Super League. I thought about all of this, but I felt that competing with foreign players would put more pressure on me and make me improve more. Training with them every day, playing in groups, and watching how they play, is also an opportunity for me to improve, and this competition motivates me even more and unleashes my potential.

◆You didn't have many chances all season, but in the last three games, how did you communicate with the manager to put him in such an important game?

When the manager first arrived, he talked to me a lot and told me that he knew that I didn't have many opportunities, but he still affirmed my value, and he thought that I could definitely help the team, so he hoped that I could train well and be ready to play at any time.

◆What do you think of the positioning this team has given you?

I think I can still play a big role in the new manager's system, and the goal for the future is definitely to be a starter, so I have to be ready now. I still have confidence in myself because I'm a natural goalscorer and I can be an important part of the attacking line in the box. I will use this to motivate myself to work hard for the team and for my goals.

◆In the last three games, against Meizhou Hakka, a direct relegation opponent, why was it not as open as it was against Shanghai Shenhua? After all, Shenhua is the favorite to win the championship, and its strength is even stronger.

These two games, in terms of importance, are the same, and they have to fight hard. Meizhou is our direct rival, they also understand this, based on the relegation situation, the two sides also have the same strategy, that is, to defend well first, not to let the opponent score, so each of them does not have many chances. As you know, Shenhua is one of the best teams in the league and it was not easy for us to play more openly, to take the only opportunity to convert into a goal and to get a valuable point.

◆In the game with Shenhua, you scored a goal that overtook the score again, if the game ended like this, your goal will go down in history, and in the end it is full of regrets?

There are regrets, but it's good to be able to score 1 point on Shenhua, everyone knows that Shenhua is going to compete for the championship, and it must go all out. We were playing away from home, so of course we knew it would be difficult to win, so in terms of the situation, we were happy with the result of one point. In the end, it was only because of a penalty that it turned into a draw, and there are still regrets.

◆This season, the team often made mistakes in the defensive line and managed to score goals, but because of defensive problems, they missed a lot of points. As a striker, does it affect your mentality when it happens so often in a game?

Football is a team sport, we win and lose together, we accept applause together, we face accusations together. In fact, the players are human beings and anyone can make mistakes in a game, maybe in a single game, maybe throughout the season. If it is possible for our defence players to make mistakes and concede goals, sometimes from their point of view, our forward line can also squander a great chance to score and miss an opportunity to change the outcome of the game. So we never blame our teammates because we're a team and the more we encounter situations like this, the more we have to come together to meet the challenge.

◆The finale of the relegation fell to the last game against Nantong Zhiyun, which was your first start this season, was there a lot of psychological pressure at that time?

The pressure is fine, I've been waiting for this opportunity all season, it's been a long, long time, and I've done a lot of preparation every time I come off the bench, so when I learned I was going to start, I was a little bit more excited and wanted to use all my energy to help the team get out of relegation.

◆Football: You are also the star of the Hong Kong team, what kind of career plan did you have when you first came to play in the Chinese League?

An Yongjia: Before I came to the mainland to play, I played for Kitchee in Hong Kong, China, and I had a good performance in that team, so Guangxi Pingguo Ha Yi Club gave me the opportunity. I actually had the goal of playing in the Super League at that time, so I always kept my form in the league and tried to improve more, because I knew that the better the performance, the better the chance of going to the Super League.

◆How did the previous battles in the first division help you in your training?

During my time in the middle league, it really helped me a lot. As we all know, the league in Hong Kong, China is not the top in terms of scale and intensity. I had just returned from the U.S. League to play in Hong Kong, and I had this idea: if I wanted to take my career to the next level, it would be best to play in the mainland. In fact, the Chinese League has opened up my understanding of the mainland league, and I also see the growth space I need.

◆In recent years, the Hong Kong team has made great progress, and winning the warm-up match with the Chinese men's football team at the beginning of the year has also increased your confidence in playing the Chinese Super League?

It was a friendly match, and it was held for training before the Asian Cup. Because it wasn't an official game, the lineups and the intensity of preparation were different at that time, so I didn't think that game had much reference value. It's just that from my personal feelings and for our other young players, I have been given a good opportunity to practice, to be able to play against the best players in the national team, to accumulate game experience through actual combat, and to give me some reference for whether I can play in the Chinese Super League.

◆Now that more and more Hong Kong players are choosing to play in mainland clubs, as far as you know, what do you think about it?

I think this is the best period for Hong Kong football, and there are many Hong Kong players who come to play in the mainland, all with the mentality of seeking progress and playing in a high-level league. We're all very good friends, we've played together since we were kids, we have a lot of conversations, and I think it's great to be able to play in the same league as them.

◆What was it like to grow up in football?

I started playing football when I was four or five years old, my dad was a New Zealand footballer and I was influenced by him, and when I first got football, I started wanting to be a professional footballer like my father. He helped me a lot, and since I was a child, he was adamant that I should learn football from different places, such as leaving Hong Kong to play in the United States while I was young, and watching a higher level of football to help me grow.

◆Did you show a clear talent for football as a child?

In fact, my early education and football experience were in Hong Kong, China, and I may be one of the better ones at all ages. At the time, I thought I might succeed in professional football, and then when I was 14 years old, my family sent me to the United States to go on my own. The main thing is that I can really feel the intensity and cruelty of professional football. When I got out of the house, I realized that the world is really big, and it is much harder than I thought to be a professional footballer, and it takes more effort than others, so I don't think talent is anything, and I'm not that special player, all talent is inseparable from hard work.

◆What kind of inner world have you achieved through your previous experiences?

When I first arrived in the U.S. League, the coach didn't give me a lot of opportunities, but I always knew what I had to do and I had to train hard and keep improving. Rather than complaining, I like to think about why the coach doesn't give me a chance to play, and I spend a lot of time every day adjusting my condition and maintaining a positive attitude. If you do all the work to the extreme, as long as you are patient, you will definitely have a chance.

◆Soon you and the team will have a second Chinese Super League season, what do you want to break through next year?

At the team level, I hope that the team can go further than in the 2024 season and win more games, especially in the process of building the team, so that we can make positive progress and substantial growth. I also know that this is the direction of City Group in the long term, and hopefully we can take a solid first step through next season. For me personally, I hope to have a significant improvement in terms of playing time and stats compared to this season, and try to get more starts.

The most important thing is that I want to try to be a better striker and my own goal is to be one of the best homegrown goalscorers in the Chinese Super League.