Double Golden Boot, missed naturalization, dissatisfied with salary...... "Chicken Master" Muric's Chinese past

Football Newspaper

2024-05-29 10:51Posted on the official account of Guangdong Football News

In May 2010, South Korean Kim Yongjia boarded a flight to Brazil, with the destination of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, with only one goal: Luis Guilherme da Conceição Silva, better known as another "name", Muric, Guangzhou fans call him "Ji Ye" according to the Cantonese pronunciation.

That year, Muric was 24 years old.

On that trip to Brazil, Jin Longjia stayed for 2 months. In fact, he only watched two games, but he is already very familiar with him - in 2009, the Golden Dragons studied in Brazil for four months, watched 58 games, four of which were played by Muric, and at that time, he was still playing for Avai.

Jin Longjia was excited, in the Brazilian league, Muric's speed advantage can be played so well, if in Asia, "who can guard against him", moreover, he plays in a small club, "it shouldn't be expensive." ”

In this way, Muric's figure has been engraved in Jin Longjia's mind, and he is still looking for a job, hoping to "offer treasure" to the new owner.

After Lee Jang-so took charge of Guangzhou Shuaiyin, he immediately called Kim Longjia, the former head of the old department of Seoul, and asked him to go to China to help him, as the chief assistant teacher. When Evergrande wanted to exchange foreign aid in the summer window, the first thing that came to mind for Jin Longjia was Muric.

The Golden Dragons went to Brazil for the second time, and at that time, Muric had already transferred to the giants Atletico Mineiro. The Golden Dragons sent Muric's report back to the club and drew the emphasis, commenting that "Muric will be very good in four out of five games, and only one may be average." ”

He suggested that Evergrande should focus on Muric. Liu Yongzhuo, the chairman of the club at the time, went to Brazil in person, and when he contacted Mineiro, he didn't say that he wanted Muric, but talked about the big name Tardelli first. The Brazilian first offered 6 million euros, which doubled directly two days later, and then knocked on the side, "Hurry up and buy, otherwise it will have to rise." ”

Liu Yongzhuo asked about Muric again, and Mineiro said that now, there are big clubs in Portugal and Brazil eyeing him, as well as teams from Japan and South Korea, "South Korea will contribute 3 million US dollars." ”

It is unknown whether the price will be raised, but this price is acceptable to Evergrande. So, Liu Yongzhuo only added 500,000, and the Brazilian nodded, with a 4-year contract and an annual salary of 600,000 US dollars.

3.5 million US dollars, which set a record for the transfer fee of Chinese foreign aid at that time, was an absolute sky-high price, and some people questioned it, including Evergrande Club: Is he worth it?

On June 26, 2010, Muric came.

At that time, the team was still at the base of Baiyun Mountain, and the conditions were difficult, and Muric's heart was full of question marks, and he held back for several days before muttering, "Why don't we even have a toilet in the training place?" ”

For the food in Guangzhou, Muric is also not adaptable, and he is very "afraid" of Ackerson's feasting on Chinese food. He once told the Brazilian media that his biggest challenge in China is not football, but food - "I almost threw up when I saw the white cut chicken" When he ate a piece ......of snake meat and asked what the translation was, he froze at first after getting the answer, and then threw all the dishes out of the bowl.

Muric was not incapable of hardship, his family was poor when he was a child, and he told a story about having to spend the night near the training ground because he missed the bus, "In front of a small shop, I found a piece of cardboard and just made do with it for the night. ”

Therefore, when Evergrande's contract was sent to him, Muric almost did not hesitate and signed it immediately, and later, he said, "I didn't know that Evergrande was not a top league team." ”

In fact, at that time, he was equally unfamiliar with China and Guangzhou. Looking back many years later, Muric said: "I don't regret it, everything, it's the best choice." ”

That year or half a season, Muric conquered everyone, won the silver boot of the Central League (13 goals), made his debut against Nanjing, and easily staged the "Big Four Happiness".

In 2011, Evergrande won the Chinese Super League title, and this year, they signed Cleo and Conca.

For Muric, in addition to the championship, there are two other things that have a big impact, one is to win the double golden boot of the Chinese Super League and the FA Cup; The second is that he has thought about "leaving" or "withdrawing" from Chinese football.

Why he wants to quit is very simple, in the game against Liaozu in August, he had a conflict with Zhao Junzhe, and afterwards, the Chinese Football Association banned Muric for 5 games and fined 25,000 yuan. In this regard, Muric was very dissatisfied, "I did something wrong, it's okay to punish me, but I have to have a bowl of water." ”

Evergrande complained, Muric shouted grievances, but to no avail, for the first time, he moved the idea of leaving, "I am very angry." ”

On the day of the suspension, Muric saw the fans on the sidelines put up signs, and although he couldn't read them, the interpreter told him, "They don't want you to go." Although coach Lee Jang-so said, "If he really wants to leave, we will not stop him", but everyone knows that it is impossible for the South Koreans to let him go.

In the end, Muric stayed, but unfortunately, the footballer was supposed to be given to him, but he missed out because of the ban. Interestingly, eight years later, Muric switched to Shijiazhuang Yongchang, and later, Zhao Junzhe became the general manager of the club.

That year, in fact, there was another thing that made Muric a little uncomfortable, and that was Conca, an Argentine with an annual salary of 7 million US dollars.

"There's definitely a sense of imbalance, it's not about Conca, it's a salary, it's a recognition of the value of a professional player. You put in the sweat and contribution, and the club will pay you accordingly. Muric later said that, in fact, not only Conca, but also Baolong, Renato, Cleo and Exxon were all paid higher wages than him.

Muric had some minor emotions, but more often than not, he was conscientious, "What I can do is to improve my core competitiveness, if I play well, the club will pay higher wages, and if I take a step back, maybe other clubs will pay higher wages." ”

With Conca as a comparison, Muric's request, "is reasonable. Liu Yongzhuo said.

In 2013, it was Muric's highlight moment, Evergrande won the AFC Champions League, and he won the AFC Champions League Golden Boot and Golden Ball. In July of the following year, under the "effect" of various factors, Muric left the team and joined Sade, this time, he earned Evergrande 8 million US dollars.

When leaving, Muric took 12 large boxes with him at the cost of being fined 22,000 yuan for overweight fees.

In the farewell declaration, Muric said of Guangzhou, "I will never hope for the rest of my life." He doesn't blame the club, he doesn't blame Lippi, "My departure, it has nothing to do with anyone." He even said that he went to Qatar "just for the money." - Qatar offered him an annual salary of $6 million.

Getting on the bus to Baiyun Airport, he told a friend, "Maybe, in the future, I will choose to return to China and retire here." But no one expected that this departure would completely cut off Muric's path to naturalization in the future, because his first trip to China did not meet the target in time, of course, this is a later story.

Commenting on his experience at THAAD, Muric said it was a complete mistake: "If I had to go back in time, I would not have chosen to go to West Asia and stay in China." "In Saad, Muric's stats are very good, and he has always been the golden boot in the team, but in order to make room for the big names, he was abandoned.

It is said that SIPG approached him, but Muric refused, and he chose Tokyo FC, but he was riddled with injuries and he did not play much. Visiting Evergrande's old friend who came to play the AFC Champions League, his eyes were full of envy, and maybe at that moment, he had the idea of returning.

In July 2017, Muric returned to Evergrande with a contract of only half a year.

Before his return, Muric and da Gama were talking about terminating the contract, and a Japanese team was looking for him, at this time, Liu Yongzhuo called, saying that he had an assistant going to Brazil, and asked him to meet, "I didn't say anything when I called, I said that I would go to Sao Paulo to meet the assistant, and I didn't know that I wanted to go back after I arrived." ”

Muric said he felt "happy, very happy", he wanted to help the team and prove himself again, "When I left in '14, I was injured and I wasn't in good shape, so I wanted to prove it again. ”

In that half a year, Muric was very indifferent, and in the face of the same thing, he handled it better, and even said that if the club did not renew the contract, he would not regret it, "This half a year is worth it, and the memories of this half year are also worth cherishing."

Nine league games, four goals and four assists, Muric's statistics are not bad, but after the contract expired, there was no extension.

Later, Muric played for Meixian Tiehan and Shijiazhuang Yongchang, but in the best years, he gave Evergrande - 131 games, 67 goals and 44 assists.

In January 2022, Muric returned to Brazil for his third time with Avaí. Although his state is not as good as before, at that time, he no longer plays football for money, "I am ready to retire." On the show of former teammate Feng Xiaoting, Muric said with a smile.

Evergrande has so many foreign aids, and the best relationship with Muric is Baolong, "He is a true friend." "There's still a connection, there's Conca.

On May 28, 2024, the 37-year-old Muric announced his retirement, and for Chinese fans, the biggest difficulty is that such a good player is not "naturalized".

Muric had the idea of playing for the Chinese team, "If the door of the Chinese team is willing to open to me, no problem. He believes that he can help Chinese football improve its level and bring happiness to fans, "However, the Chinese Football Association has not approached me, which is a pity, but I respect their decision." ”

"Twenty years ago, I started my career as a footballer and on May 26, I ended my career as a player. I want to thank all the clubs I've played for, especially the people in China, where I've had the best years of my life for more than a decade. In the retirement declaration, Muric was full of emotion.

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