Yuri Pellegrini: “China changed my life”

Yuri Pellegrini welcomes us to the interview with a “Nihao” and a broad grin on his face. However, the first impression is deceptive, because in reality the Unterlander has only learned a few scraps of Chinese so far. “The language is just too difficult. I know 40 to 50 words, but no more,” reveals Pellegrini. Understandable, especially since he also focused on football. He trains the reserve team of first division team Tianjin Teda.

What impression did you get after the first half of the year in Asia?

“A thoroughly positive one. I have developed enormously both professionally and personally. These seven months in China have already changed my life. I’ve learned to be much more patient and flexible.”

How do you assess the level of football in the People's Republic?

“There is certainly still a lot of catching up to do here, although there is enormous development potential. First and foremost, the Chinese lack the mentality to approach competitive sports in the long term. On the other hand, they are miles ahead in terms of organization, infrastructure and logistics. We Europeans can still learn a lot here.”

How do you personally find your way around China?

“What I have experienced in these months cannot be summarized in a few sentences. I’ve had a lot of great experiences, even though I’m always a little homesick.”

What was the most exciting moment?

“It was undoubtedly winning a national tournament a few days before my trip to Europe. That was an enormous satisfaction for me, the entire club, but above all for my boys. They are all U20 players who train hard every day in order to get into the first team later on.”

Are you following the World Cup in Brazil? “Due to the time difference, I didn’t catch all the games on TV. I often had to make do with summaries the day after. I was very annoyed about the Italians' early exit. Perhaps this embarrassment can also be used to turn youth work around. The first thing to do here is to lend a hand.”

What are your immediate future plans? Will your stay in China be extended?

“My contract expires in November. My advisor and I are currently examining the option of continuing my involvement in China. That’s definitely my first choice at the moment, but who knows what will happen in the next few months.”

Yuri, hand on heart: Do you now feel Chinese or do you still have a South Tyrolean heart? “These are two worlds that cannot be juxtaposed like that. During all my stays abroad, I have always felt like I was in good hands. Let’s put it this way: I’m a South Tyrolean globetrotter…”

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Yuri Pellegrini: “China changed my life”

The football teacher from Laag has been in the Middle Kingdom for seven months. Now he has used a two-week break from the championship to take a trip home. So it's time to take an initial interim assessment with SportNews.bz.

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