Former Shanghai Shenhua and Shandong Taishan head coach Valeri Nepomniachtchi was interviewed, where he compared Chinese footballers with Russian footballers. Nepomniachtchi expressed his views, stating that it is difficult to instill a professional mentality in Chinese players, who tend to lose their professionalism immediately after joining the national team. He also mentioned that Chinese players are very talented, and their natural abilities are not inferior to those of Russian footballers.
Nepomniachtchi said, "It's hard for me to judge because I've been involved in Chinese football for over 20 years. Therefore, the level there has probably improved. Everyone knows that the development of Chinese football is wave-like, with large amounts of money coming in and then leaving. They start buying star players, and then they close the project again. So, I have no comment on the current state of Chinese football. But I can say that Chinese footballers are very talented. If we're talking purely about the Chinese, this is certain. Their talent is no worse than that of Russian players."
Nepomniachtchi further explained, "Another thing is that the concept of professional players in China is very different from that in Russia. I always felt that when a Chinese footballer reaches a high level, such as joining the national team, they immediately lose their professionalism; they already consider themselves stars. When I tried to explain to such a player that they must maintain their level, they would reply, 'Are you kidding? My jersey has already sold five million pieces.' Therefore, instilling a professional mentality in Chinese footballers is extremely challenging. As a result, they haven't achieved much."
