[Sports Road Doha Direct Attack]Dai Weijun, a very controversial name in Hong Kong football circles. Born in Hong Kong, he once represented the Hong Kong youth team, and later transferred to China and became an important member of the national football team. During this week in the finals of the Asia Cup, in addition to supporting the Hong Kong football team, one of the focuses of many local fans remains the 24-year-old national football midfielder. Two years after playing for the national football team, Dai Weijun received the Hong Kong media interview for the first time. In Doha and “Tilu”, he repeated the flashpoint of the year and responded to the criticism and opinion of the outside world.
Dai Weijun made his debut with Pele in England’s League One.
Like many young footballers, Dai Weijun has planned to be a professional footballer since he was a child: “When I was a child, my first dream was to play in the Premier League. I was relatively naive at the time. But since I was a child, my father has given me a message that if I want to become a footballer, the goal should be placed on the highest stage.” Dai Weijun has been training everywhere since he was a child, accompanied by his father. currently father is the director of development of the Hong Kong Super League team and has some connections and reputation in the football world. Dai Weijun played to the Orient Youth Army when he was young. Later, when he went to Europe to study, he played for Oxford United in the English League, Utrecht II in the Dutch League and Wolves U23. However, due to a lack of playing opportunities, he decided to switch to the Chinese Super League. . He admitted that the Premier League level was difficult to reach, but what he gained during those days was not only technical skills, but also a strong psychological quality: “In the youth team, if you got the opportunity to train with the first team, some people would be jealous and have something to say to you. They will even kick you on purpose during training, divide you into gangs and talk about the good and the bad, and everything. Football is cruel, because if you are good, it means that others are not good, and everyone is fighting for a contract for themselves, so they understand.”
Gallivert (Photo: Tilu Database)
Re-attach the fuse
The Hong Kong players were able to advance to a higher level league. Under extensive media reports, most fans at that time had a very positive evaluation of Dai Weijun and looked forward to him representing the Hong Kong D Football Team. However, he was called up to play two friendly matches in 2018 but refused due to injury. After discovering that he had gone to the Netherlands to train with China’s under-21 team, public opinion took a turn for the worse. He was accused of “faking an injury” and repeated the situation at the time: “My knee was injured at the time. The Oxford United team doctor said I couldn’t compete. I also told the coach of the representative team (Galivert) beforehand about my injury. situation, but for some reason I was still on the list, I went to the Netherlands, where I did treatment training and rehabilitation at the same time. After the training camp, I stayed at the physiotherapy clinic local for three more weeks for treatment.”
So, if he hadn’t been injured then, would he have returned to Hong Kong? The answer is still the same: “There is no international season in England’s League One. If I were asked to fly back 12 hours just to play a friendly, I might not do it. It was a time of competition for jobs, and British teams came and went very quickly. When you weren’t there, you might get beaten. Instead, for the sake of my career, I’ll choose not to go back.”
The British team comes in and out so quickly, you might be replaced when you’re no longer there, and you might choose not to go back for the sake of your career.
Argument for the transfer of citizenship
From giving up his Hong Kong and British passports to “transfer” to China to qualify for the national football team, Dai Weijun made it clear that only after returning to the Chinese Super League that he started making plans after the training camp: “The most important thing is that I was performing in the team at that time, and everyone had started to pay attention to me. Everyone feels that I have the ability to represent the football team- national footing. I also hope to have the opportunity to play in major events such as the World Cup and Asian Cup and challenge a bigger stage.” As a professional footballer, he has always been focused on goals, every step and every choice, all to enable myself to go higher and further: “I have always focused on how to get a contract and how to Survive in the football world. I don’t think too much about other things. Playing in China comes with artificial intelligence. It is much higher, but the most important thing for me is the challenge. The foreign is the players I face and even the teammates I play with are all of a high level.”
I have always focused on how to get a contract and how to survive in the football world, I haven’t thought too much about other things.
However, because of this decision to transfer, every time there are reports or news about Dai Weijun, local fans will leave comments. In the face of various kinds of ridicule and insults, he responded calmly, he didn’t fight back, and he didn’t take it seriously: “It’s nothing to me, you can never be a perfect person, and I was spent until even more when I played for the Chinese team. In fact, mainland netizens are “strong in numbers” In contrast, the “deadly power” of Hong Kong fans is not that great: “During the first Asian Cup, I heard some Hong Kong people judging me on the she is completely indifferent. Chatting aimlessly. However, I don’t care. I have grown up under strict teachings since I was a child. Only I will move towards the goals I have set .”
It’s nothing to me, you can never be a perfect person, and I was even more scared when I played for the Chinese team.
Dai Weijun (right) fights with his childhood teammate Chen Junle at the 2022 East Asian Championships. (Photo: EAFF)
Pay attention to the performance of the Hong Kong football team during the week of the finals
This time, the Hong Kong football team entered the finals of the Asian Cup after half a century. Although they were eliminated in the final group, their performance won applause. Tai Weijun also paid attention to the news of the team: “The overall performance of the Hong Kong football team is good, especially in the match against Iran. Although we are sure it is not strong enough, but it is definitely better than before.” Many Hong Kong players such as Chen Junle and Liang Nokheng grew up with Tai Weijun. Although his former players became “enemies” on the court, he said that off the court, they We all get along very well: “My football friends will always tell me to come go ahead and support you. I don’t have much contact with people outside of football, so their ideas don’t affect me.”
Although the national football team scored two points in Qatar, they did not manage to score a goal in three games. Dai Weijun lost to the host country in the final and had no chance to play. Mainland netizens who have always been unkind in criticizing the national football team have been commenting on the national football team, and some have taken advantage of the good performance of the Hong Kong football team by suggesting Jokingly Dai Weijun transferred back to Hong Kong. , he has always been consistent in his choice: “I’ve got ‘The idea of ’go out if you want to play well’, and go out if you want to play well, so it won’t change .”
The goal is clear, so even if he was questioned and even experienced the team’s salary arrears last year, he never wavered: “(The salary arrears) was a good experience because I learned how to control my emotions in a stressful environment . . . that time, I insisted on training with a personal trainer and paying for physical therapy myself, hoping to maintain my condition and prepare for the subsequent Asian Games in Hangzhou.” During the interview, Dai Weijun often emphasized that if you want to do something, you will do everything possible, ways to achieve it. Because many times whether you can achieve it or not depends on whether you have enough determination and how much you love what you do.
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As a player, you must be ambitious to progress.
“As a player, you have to be ambitious to make progress.” He studied French in England and then returned to Asia to play football. His eyes are still on the outside: “I definitely want to work in Europe, but when there is a suitable opportunity, I have to be realistic. The first step might be to go to a second club tier such as the Eredivisie or Ligue 2, and then jump to a higher level league if there is a chance.” People look to the top, but water flows to the bottom. In two years Although Dai Weijun has gone through ups and downs and experienced gains and losses in the past, he insisted on being loyal to his beliefs, moving towards goals higher step by step, and challenge the next bigger step.
Subject: Puyi
Photo: Mak King Chi
This article was originally published by “Sportsroad” in “[Cwpan Asiaidd · Cyfweliad Uniongyrchol]Ignore the abuse and stay true to yourself, Dai Weijun talks about the “nationality transfer” crisis: Hope to challenge a bigger step”
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