Interview with Dalian 19-year-old rising star Mao Weijie: Work hard to play well in the Asian Youth Championship and the Chinese Super League next year The dream is to stay in the United States

18/12/2024 11:00:00 熊猫官方

Special correspondent Ding Xu reports Mao Weijie, a child from rural Dalian, has become a rising star in Chinese football at the age of 19. From playing in the senior team at the age of 17, to the second division, the first division and the upcoming new season of the Chinese Super League, Mao Weijie has followed Dalian InBev to move forward steadily one step at a time. He thinks that his talent is not very outstanding, but through his hard work, he has played an absolute main role in the club and the U19 national youth team.

Before the preparation for the new season of Dalian InBev officially began, we interviewed Mao Weijie. Although Mao Weijie did not set long-term goals for himself, it was clear from his conversations that the young man was eager to be selected for the senior national team, and he also hoped to one day become a benchmark for Chinese players like Sun Jihai.

◆Football: Tell us about your upbringing, when did you start playing football?

Mao Weijie: When I was a child, I was in Wafangdian (a county-level city managed by Dalian City), and because my family was busy, I stayed in Wafangdian to study since I was a child. Boys, if you're interested in sports, I'll do it too.

When I was in the fourth grade of elementary school, I started playing football, and I was playing on the playground. Since the fifth grade, I have been learning football with my mentor Ji Dao (Ji Xuemin). When I was in the sixth grade, I came to Dalian to participate in the summer camp training, tried out at Ganjingzi Sports School, and I also transferred from Wafangdian to Ganjingzi Primary School.

When I was in junior high school, the team went to the Shihe base, and I transferred from 77 to Pulandian (Dalian Municipal District), and I also took root in the Shihe base. After graduating from the Football Association team, he played the championship in Dalian, played the second division in Dalian Zhixing, and then played the first division in Dalian InBev this year.

◆Does your family support you to play football?

The family is not engaged in sports. As for whether they support me to play football, although they don't say anything, but in their hearts, I will support everything I do.

◆What have you been up to lately?

After Dalian InBev overtook the competition, I went to report to the U19 national youth team and participated in the Panda Cup. After the national youth team competition, I gave myself a vacation and went out for a week. Then I started training immediately, and although Dalian InBev was concentrated on the 16th, I had to start training early as a young player.

◆The last player who could play the main team in Dalian at the age of 17 was Sun Jihai, and in 2022, you entered the first team of Dalian Reading Bank at the age of 17 and played in the championship as the main player, how does it feel?

I am very happy and excited, and I am very happy and excited, and I thank Director Li (Li Guoxu, the head coach of Dalian InBev) for promoting me from the reserve team. In the past two years, the higher the platform, the more excited I have been on the pitch and the happier I have been to play.

◆Football: In the 6th round of this year's Chinese League, you scored a very beautiful goal against Liaoning Iron Man, what was your mood at that time?

Mao Weijie: I'm very excited, I didn't expect the first goal in the Chinese League to come so quickly. Actually, I had a lot of chances to score before, but unfortunately I didn't take them. I would like to thank Director Li, who has given me the opportunity to play since the second division and let me get a good workout.

◆With three goals and two assists, are you happy with your first season in the league?

My personal experience this year has been up and down, but overall it's okay. I'm not happy with my stats, but I'm happy with it technically and tactically because I'm helpful to the team.

◆Li Guoxu has insisted on using you for three consecutive seasons, what kind of coach do you think Director Li is?

Director Li is very strict with us in his usual training, he cares a lot about the control of the rhythm of the game, quickly attacks after transferring, and immediately moves forward after the counter-grab, which is the style of modern football, and Director Li is very familiar with the most popular techniques and tactics in the world at the moment.

◆Will he give you a "small stove" in training?

Director Li is like this for young players, he is very fair, he wants young players to improve quickly, play more games, and often urge us to pay attention to quick counter-attacks in training.

◆What role does General Manager Chen Dong play?

Mr. Chen is very important to the club, starting from the Chinese Championship, it was he who brought several of our young players to Dalian to study, and we have been together for three years, and we have a very deep relationship with each other. Mr. Chen has done a very good job in terms of club security and has given a lot to our whole team.

◆Barracuda Bay has set many attendance records this year, but is it tense to play in front of tens of thousands of fans? Dalian InBev has been successful, and the power of the fans has played a key role.

To be honest, it was a bit nervous at the beginning of the season, a little bit before every game, but not when you played. Playing in such a good atmosphere in Barracuda Bay, we are very motivated on the pitch.

◆Football: Dalian InBev has a few experienced players in the midfield who play with you as a young man, what did you learn from them?

Mao Weijie: Mainly about experience and mentality, like Brother Peng's (Lu Peng)'s organization and attack, the fourth brother's (Zhao Mingjian's) footwork, technique and transfer, Fei Ge's (Fei Yu)'s early observation and awareness after the fight, I learned a lot from them. I played as a central midfielder for a while, and I was very nervous during that time, but I didn't expect Director Li to arrange for me to play in the midfield.

◆These veteran players usually take more care of you, right?

Definitely, no matter whether the team is in the same team or not, the big brothers have a lot of supervision for me.

◆You've played in almost every position in midfield and have been a cameo at the back this year, which is your favourite position?

Actually, I'm not a pure winger, Director Li put me in the position of the wing midfielder, I belong to the side forward adduction style of play, I prefer to get the ball in the middle. Explosiveness is not my strong suit, because I don't feel like I have enough speed, and passing, receiving, running and tandem in the midfield are more suitable for me.

◆You've been doing well overall this year, and when the league was halfway through, there were some discordant voices from the outside world, which caused you to be under a lot of pressure, how did you adjust during that time?

I just watched less public opinion and media rhetoric and paid more attention to my own game, and during that time I could only adjust slowly, and the pressure was relieved a lot after the goal. I kind of got through that tough time. Later, I realized a truth: football is played by oneself, and football depends on strength to speak. That experience helped me get over that hurdle in my heart, and many things didn't affect me anymore.

◆What moments have stood out to you in the past three years?

In 2022, when Dalian Reading Bank played the first round of the knockout round of the Chinese Champions League, we won Hefei City 11-10 on penalties, and that game impressed me the most. I was involved in a penalty shoot-out and it was a tight game. If he had lost on penalties, he wouldn't have been where he is now.
Last year, we went to the last round of the Chinese Second League, and I started for 70 minutes. There is also the success of the last game of this year's Chinese League, which I will remember for a lifetime.

◆What goals have you set for yourself to play in the Chinese Super League next year?

Train well in the winter first, then play in the U20 Asian Cup and show your ability in the game. Playing in the Super League, I feel like I can play the game. I'm ready, I've demanded myself like a Super League player in terms of training, I'm going to work harder and I'm going to give 120 per cent.

◆Football: You were selected for the U19 national youth team with your outstanding performance, this is the first time you have been selected for the national brand as an adult, right?

Mao Weijie: Yes, I entered the national brand when I was 13 years old before. I've been working hard in training and in competitions to get into the national brand. I was not on the list for the first two training camps, but I was very excited when I learned that I had been selected for the U19 national youth team, and I had set a goal before: I must participate in next year's U20 Asian Cup.

◆When you came of age, Djurdjevic was the first foreign coach with you, right?

Yes. He is a coach who emphasizes transmission and control, and he usually encourages us, saying that our abilities are very good, and we should play more to organize attacks in training and games, and conduct repeated drills after formulating good skills and tactics, and find him at any time if there are any problems that we don't understand. In addition, he is also a very strict coach and is very responsible for our young players.

◆The U20 Asian Cup is about to start, and the competition in the team is fierce, right?

Indeed, there are three or four people competing for a position, and it depends on everyone's state at that time.

◆You are a player with a lot of experience in the professional league in this national youth team, what do you think of the prospects of next year's Under-20 Asian Cup?

In the U20 Asian Cup, we are in a group with Australia, Kyrgyzstan and Qatar, and we have played between Australia and Kyrgyzstan, but Qatar has not played directly. Now that we have reached the stage of sprint preparation, we will work harder, not relax, carefully analyze the opponent and prepare for the game, first of all, we must break through from the group stage.

◆You wear the No. 43 jersey in the Champions League and the Second Division, you wear the No. 22 in the Chinese League this year, and you wear the No. 7 in the U19 national youth team, which number do you prefer?

I didn't expect to wear No. 7 in the national youth team. Wearing number 43 last year was my professional league debut, so it was important for me. This year's number 22 carries a lot of things, I wore this number to score my first goal in the professional league, and people know me as a number 22, so I still want to wear number 22 in the new season.

◆Do you usually watch European football?

Definitely watch, I like Liverpool, I like the previous manager Uncle Klopp. Liverpool's tactics are in line with the characteristics of modern football, with fast transitions between attack and defence, forward, and the players I like playing for Liverpool.

◆Is it Salah?

Yes, Salah is the banner of Egyptian football, he is a very fast wide player, he is good at cutting inside and is the heart of the Liverpool team.

Director Li also lets us watch more high-level games and learn from players who are more similar to their own style of play. My idol is Cristiano Ronaldo, and I watch a lot of games in seat B.

◆Football: Do you think you play with your football talent, or do you try harder?

Mao Weijie: All of them. Through hard work, I have made progress little by little, and I feel that talent is mainly based on my feet. Everyone also knows that my talent is average, and my explosiveness is not very good.

◆What do you like to do in your daily life outside of training and competitions?

Recently, I practiced on my own before the team was concentrated. Because I have to get a driver's license, I am also practicing driving. In addition, it is to play games and play FIFA. There is also learning English, slowly improving and enriching yourself.

◆Will your family go live to watch you play?

My dad would go to watch every game, and my mother was busy with work, so she watched my game live once a month or two.

◆What are your plans for your career?

Now is to play well in the U20 Asian Cup first, then the Chinese Super League in the new season, and the National Games next year. 2025 is very important for me, hopefully I have a good year and then think about other things.

◆Have you ever thought about staying abroad and playing football abroad?

Playing abroad is the dream of every Chinese player, and I will motivate myself, cheer for myself, and work hard to achieve this goal as soon as possible.