Published: 15:58, May 18, 2020 | Updated: 02:23, June 6, 2023
China naturalized player yearns to speak Chinese better
By Xinhua

Aloisio holds the Chinese national flag with Shandong Luneng teammate Wang Yongpo after an AFC Champions League match against Japan's Cerezo Osaka in 2014. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

BEIJING - Chinese foreign-born player Luo Guofu has expressed his will to learn Chinese well after he was called up by the national team of his adopted country.

Luo, whose Brazilian name is Aloisio, was the third naturalized player after Ai Kesen and Li Ke to be inducted by the Chinese side.

ALSO READ: Team China unveils new roster with three naturalized players

Now it has been one of my main goals to learn Chinese. I hope I can master this language and talk with others in Chinese

Luo Guofu

The top scorer of the Chinese Super League in 2015 currently is training with the Chinese team in Shanghai to prepare for their next two World Cup qualifiers, the date of which remains unclear due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Luo said he looked forward to the day when he can speak Chinese.

"Now it has been one of my main goals to learn Chinese. I hope I can master this language and talk with others in Chinese," he said.

Luo on Sunday posted on social media a letter written to him by a Chinese fan in English asking him to learn Chinese.

"I know Chinese is one of the most difficult languages to learn, but I still look forward that one day you could speak it fluently," the letter read.

READ MORE: Report: China football coach expects to call up more naturalized players

Li Tie, head coach of the Chinese side, said his team is open to all the players, naturalized or local, so long as they can fit the bill and have the will to serve the team.

"All the players in my team will face fierce competition, I will prepare at least three players for any position of the team. They are close in capability, so their forms will make the difference," he said.

Aloisio poses with a young fan on board a high-speed train after Shandong Luneng's victory over Guangzhou Evergrande in the 2015 CFA Super Cup final in Hangzhou. (PHOTO / XINHUA)