Little-known Brazilian Fernandinho attempts to bridge cultural gap while playing in China
He does not have the fame – or enormous wages – of Shanghai-based Carlos Tevez or Oscar, and his nickname would be viewed as offensive by many but the Brazilian is one of the growing number of foreign footballers in China
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He does not have the fame – or enormous wages – of Shanghai-based Carlos Tevez or Oscar, and his nickname would be viewed as offensive by many, but Fernandinho, one of the growing number of Brazilian footballers in China, is bridging a wide cultural gap and finding celebrity in the southwestern city of Chongqing.
At 10:45am, he arrives to smiles in the gym, where he stretches before lifting a barbell, alongside a dozen Chinese teammates. He is known in the city by his nickname “Xiao Hei”, or “Little Black”. It is a reference to his age (24), and his skin colour.
“The cultural differences are vast ... Brazilians are quite boisterous, and people in China are more reserved,” he said.
“But everybody does his best to communicate, and I often make jokes with my Chinese teammates, who do the same.”
The forward arrived at Chongqing, a metropolis of 8.5 million – roughly the population of Switzerland – in the summer of 2015, after a mixed experience at Estoril in Portugal’s Primeira Liga.
Today, he is one of 24 Brazilian footballers playing in the 16-team Chinese Super League.
They are among the 78 foreign players who have moved to the country in recent years, many after Chinese president Xi Jinping’s demand for China to become a world football power unleashed a flood of spending.
Some of the players have made headlines for their bumper-sized salaries and luxurious lifestyles.
But unlike some of the big-name stars, Fernandinho leads a relatively frugal life.
“Foreign footballers come not only for the money, but also to participate in this football boom,” he said.
In Brazil, Fernandinho started at Flamengo, a prestigious Rio club with a large fanbase, where competition was fierce.
His Chinese club, Chongqing Dangdai Lifan, have more modest ambitions. Last season, they finished eighth in the Super League and are happy merely to remain in the division.
That makes Fernandinho a big fish in a small pond: he is the team’s star, plays every game, and attracts fans to a stadium with a capacity of 60,000 spectators.
One of the club’s shareholders, Lifan Motors, even produced a ‘Fernandinho limited edition’ motorcycle, promoted by the player himself.
The level of play, though, is not what he is accustomed to: the Super League’s quality remains patchy, while China’s national team is 81st in the world rankings.
But Xi’s ambitions for the country to one day host and win a World Cup have lifted expectations, government support and spending by clubs.
“We are playing good football in China ... it is getting stronger and all the great players who come here bring visibility,” says Fernandinho.
Argentina’s Tevez is on a reported salary of €34.9m at Shanghai Shenhua, making him the world’s best-paid player, while other South American stars include Ramires at Jiangsu Suning and Alexandre Pato at Shanghai SIPG.
Despite living in China for nearly two years, Fernandinho still has a long way to go before he makes a full adjustment to his new life.
Aside from “nihao” (hello) and “xiexie” (thank you), he has no Chinese, and very little English.
But Fernandinho is not alone in his new home: the assistant coaches of the Chongqing club are also Brazilian. And he stays in daily contact with friends and family via mobile apps.
He is still not used to Chinese cuisine, however. He remains a fervent fan of churrasco, the Brazilian barbecue that he enjoys regularly with compatriots living in Chongqing.
“At the club, they know my habits, and they prepare what I like: rice, omelettes, sometimes chicken, steaks. And at home I eat Brazilian food,” he says.
Sometimes he has lunch at a trendy Western burger restaurant and sports bar that broadcasts football matches. He buys clothes from internationally known chains.
Fernandinho says he spends much of his free time in his rented apartment.
“I play on my PlayStation, I watch movies ... Sometimes I also play pool, go bowling and travel elsewhere in China.”
He still has plenty of time to explore the country: his contract will expire only at the end of 2019. Does he want to settle permanently in China, or even marry a Chinese woman?
“I want to play football for a while here,” he says, bursting into laughter.
