VETERAN of the BEAUTIFUL GAME
Vicente has been deeply involved in Chinese football for the past 15 years
He is Brazilian but he behaves like a local. He loves roasted buns in Xinjiang, is completely adapted to the cold at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains and loves boiled lemon tea.
Vicente de Paula Neto has been associated with Chinese football for the past 15 years, and those who know him well affectionately call him “Old V”.
His love affair with China began in 2004, when the winner of the Brazilian São Paulo District League Golden Boot, was invited to Wuhan to join the Chinese professional league.
At that time there were very few foreign football players in China, and he was one among a handful of Brazilians.
Over the years he has played with clubs in Wuhan, Xi’an and Shanghai, before moving to Urumqi, in Xinjiang, to join Chinese Huakai in 2014, the first professional football team in Xinjiang.
Then in 2017, in an Asian League match against the Lijiang Flying Tigers, Vicente hurt his Achilles tendon, and decided to “hang up his boots”.
In September that year, Vicente, 38, became the assistant coach of the Xinjiang Tianshan Snow Leopards.
Speaking about his coaching role, he says: “I wanted to become a coach when I was a player. At first, I thought it would be easy. But when I took up the job I found that it was not simple.
“I have to watch videos of the team repeatedly, make plans and accompany the players to train.
“It is very tiring.”
Speaking of his transition from player to coach, Vicente says that it is not easy.
As for the state of Chinese football, Vicente says he has personally experienced the rapid development of the game in China, adding that in recent years, there have been many international coaches and players who have come to China to play, and some have come from wellknown European and American teams.
In his view, the level of the Chinese football league is rising, the salaries of foreign players are attractive, and the clubs go out their way to create a comfortable living environment for the foreign talent. These are the factors that attract the players.
Speaking about his own experience, Vicente says: “My family has been in China. My wife likes it very much. And I can also buy Brazilian food through my mobile phone.”
For now, more foreign players are coming to play in China.
In the just-concluded 2018 season, there were 23 Brazilian players in the super league.
As for Vicente’s future, the Brazilian is leaving Xinjiang now that the season has ended.
And for his farewell, Vicente and the team gathered together at the training base for grilled kebabs and pilaf.
Looking ahead, Vicente says: “I like to enjoy every day, and I have not thought about what to do in five or 10 years. But what is certain is that I will return to China next year.”