Former Chinese international goalkeeper Wang Fei said on Wednesday that she is aiming to perform at her best in Germany after being introduced into the FC Bayern Munich Women's side in December, 2017.
"I will try my best to become the first choice goalkeeper in Bayern and help our club win in the Frauen-Bundesliga and in next season's Champions League," said the 28-year-old goalkeeper. "One's football career is short, I want to see the best of myself with this platform and achieve as much as I can at my peak time."
Wang chose the No. 1 jersey at the Bavarian club, which is also the number of her idol, Bayern male goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, to start the new chapter of her football career. "Neuer is a very versatile goalkeeper, I want to learn from him to play by feet."
The 18-month contract with Bayern Munich is the third time for Wang to join a European club. In 2014, she became the first-ever Chinese footballer to play in the Frauen-Bundesliga after signing with Turbine Potsdam. Later, in the summer of 2015, Wang transferred to Division 1 Féminine champions Olympique Lyon. Turbine's veteran manager Bernd Schröder once praised the impact made by Wang and called her a "new Nadine Angerer."
"Germany has the best football atmosphere and training system," said Wang, a girl with strongly extroverted personality. She says she hopes her own experience can inspire more Chinese female footballers to chase their dreams overseas. "Language is another big barrier... (so) I have been learning German for the past three months."
Wang made her debut for the Chinese women's national team at the age of 22 and played as a regular in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. During the tournament, FIFA described her as tall, agile and one of China's "most impressive performers" in the team's progress to the knockout stages. But her international career saw a dramatic turn as she got into several confrontations with head coach Frenchman Bruno Bini. For this reason, Wang decided to retire from the national team in February, 2016.
"2016 was a horrible year for me, I didn't want to play football any more at that time," Wang told Xinhua. "But after I calmed down, I really wanted to say thank you to Bruno. He has changed me a lot and pushed me to grow up."
"The future will be better," says a more mature Wang. She expects that her performance in Bayern can convince the new head coach of the national team Siggi Eyjolfsson, an Iceland native, to bring her back to the Steel Roses. "First I have to do my job in the club well, and I hope that I can go back to the national team as soon as possible," Wang said.
Wang will leave for Munich on Jan. 6 and start training two days later. She is expecting to make her official debut for Bayern in February.
