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10:43, 26-Nov-2018
Hola Argentina! Chinese boys pursue football dream in Buenos Aires
Updated
10:29, 29-Nov-2018
["china","other","Buenos Aires"]
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“I want to be a professional footballer,” Tong Feige, whose mother named him after the famous Portuguese player Luis Figo, told CGTN reporter his dream.
The 16-year-old boy is one of the 28 young footballers who are receiving a nine-month professional training at Club Atlético Banfield, south of Buenos Aires in Argentina.
The young players from the China Football College of Beijing Sport University started their training on Nov. 9 together with their Chinese coach Liang Bin, who has seen great changes over the past weeks.
“Both the Chinese coach and players have learnt a lot of advanced ideas and grasped more knowledge about football,” he said.
Tong Feige practices shots on goal at Club Atlético Banfield, Buenos Aires, Argentina. /CGTN Photo
Tong Feige practices shots on goal at Club Atlético Banfield, Buenos Aires, Argentina. /CGTN Photo
The young players will be trained by Argentine coaches in the same way players of the same age at the Banfield club are. The trainees also need to take online classes to complete their school curriculum while chasing their passion for football.
Tong Fei said the training is a fantastic experience because the coach not only teach them how to play football using their legs but also “my mind and my brain.”
Banfield was selected from several Argentine football clubs to be a training base of Chinese young footballers, for its rich experience in juvenile football. Many notable football players were trained at the club such as James Rodriguez, Rodrigo Palacio and Javier Zanetti.
The exchange program is an important part of China-Argentine cooperation in football since the two countries established a scheme in 2017 to improve the skills of Chinese young footballers by sending them to the South American country.
“Hola Argentina!” is CGTN's special series launched ahead of G20 Buenos Aires summit and Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit. The series explores the host city and finds the stories behind China-Argentina cooperation.
(Written by Wang Xuejing; Filmed by Bao Hongwei and Zou Yun; Video edited by Wang Xuejing)
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