VIENNA, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese coach Li Shi, a 40-year-old former Chengdu Rongcheng FC goalkeeper, is carving out a new life in European football, juggling language classes and multiple coaching roles in Austria as he works toward his long-term dream.
On a Wednesday afternoon in Salzburg, western Austria, Li carried a bag of footballs out of the equipment room and headed toward the training ground.
"My schedule is very full today," Li said. "I had German lessons this morning, I'll train two players here this afternoon, and in the evening I'll go to SV Groedig to run a session."
After retiring, Li moved to Austria in 2023 to attend a UEFA goalkeeper coaching course, where he was the only participant from China.
"I started learning English when I was still a player because I wanted to be able to connect with European football and coaches as much as possible in the future," Li recalled.
Li joined SV Groedig, a club in Austria's fourth-tier league, as a goalkeeping coach in 2025. He also works at a local goalkeeper academy in Salzburg and with another amateur team, making him one of the few Chinese football coaches to hold positions in Europe in recent years.
Having coached in Europe for around half a year, Li said his strongest impression is the intensity and pace of the game.
"After joining SV Groedig, I clearly felt that the pace here is even faster. The pressing and tackling basically give you little time to react," Li said.
"From youth training onward, European football has always been played at this kind of tempo. It's precisely this long-term accumulation of high-intensity work that makes European players more resilient and better on the ball than Chinese players," he added.
"SV Groedig is made up entirely of amateur players, including students and people with regular jobs," Li explained. "For those who dream of becoming professionals, if they perform well in the amateur league, they may be spotted by scouts and recommended to professional clubs."
Chinese goalkeeper Guo Chenxi, 19, plays for SV Groedig and is one of Li's trainees. Guo has made significant progress since joining and has already appeared in matches for the first team.
"They are very professional, both of them, Gary (Li Shi) and Sky (Guo Chenxi), and we really appreciate them being here in our team," said Christian Schwaiger, president of SV Groedig, adding that it is very exciting for him to see Chinese talents joining the team.
In the fourth-tier league, SV Groedig competes against other teams in the Salzburg region.
"We are at the second place. Hopefully we wish to win this league this year, and to come up into the third league," Schwaiger said. "We are open, and we would love to have more of those players like Sky and trainers like Gary."
According to SV Groedig head coach Arsim Deliu, applying constant pressure on the ball is a fundamental requirement in Austrian football. By comparison, this aspect is often less emphasized in some other football education systems. Additional factors such as differences in nutrition, training conditions and football mentality also influence how well a player adapts and develops, he noted.
"We welcome every player equally, regardless of where they come from. We aim to support each individual both on and off the pitch and offer help whenever needed," Deliu said. "Integration is extremely important for the team dynamic, and to strengthen this, we organize specific team-building activities away from the football field."
European football is not just about the game itself, Li noted, but a comprehensive ecosystem that integrates business, culture and education.
"In Europe, football is part of everyday life. It's not only a competitive sport, but also a lifestyle, a form of entertainment and a business activity," he said.
Many players here combine football with their studies, Li explained. After finishing high school, they can choose to continue at specialist football academies, such as the international soccer academy in Munich, where they can take courses in coaching, data analysis, sports rehabilitation, scouting and player management.
"Even if they don't end up as professional players, they can still work in football-related fields. The European football industry is huge and can create a wide range of jobs," Li said.
However, the number of Chinese players currently in Europe remains small, far lower than that of East Asian countries like Japan and South Korea.
Around 40 Chinese players are currently active in various European leagues, according to sports agent Hao Bo, who has long worked on helping Chinese players move abroad.
Alongside his daily coaching, Li is now preparing a training program for Chinese coaches in Europe. He plans to invite leading coaches and technical directors from Germany and Austria to give lectures and arrange visits for Chinese coaches to European clubs.
Through this program, he hopes to offer Chinese coaches a channel to gain deeper insight into European training systems, align with advanced football concepts and help raise the overall level of Chinese football.
"I believe that we, just like players from South Korean and Japan, can definitely expect our Chinese team to become stronger in the future," Li said. ■
