A That's weekly series where we ask a Shanghai-based somebody to tell us 5 Things specific to their life. It's that simple. Professional footballer Daniel McBreen has played for 10 clubs around the world, from Australia to England, Scotland to Romania. The striker now plies his trade at Chinese Super League side Shanghai Dongya, where things can sometimes seem a little unorthodox...
1. "Reliance on luck..."
Wearing a color because of results. Staying in certain hotels because other teams who have won have stayed there. The reliance on, or mentioning of luck is on a different level here (read: different planet).
2. "No days off..."
Having no days off is very strange to a foreign player as rest and recovery (both physically and mentally) are seen as extremely important in the leagues where we come from.
3. "Living on Chongming Island..."
The proximity of the training base to our home stadium. Our training base is two hours away from where we play. Yes, I live on Chongming Island. Jealous?
4. "The same training every day..."
Training is the same, every day, every week - basically down to the minute. Foreigner players are used to variations in training to keep the body and mind stimulated.
5. "Xu Genbao..."
A picture is worth a thousand words...
Shanghai Dongya coach Xu Genbao with his trusted assistant, Manchester United. Woof!
The Chinese Super League kicks off again this week, with Daniel McBreen's Shanghai Dongya taking on Tianjin Teda on Saturday July 19 at 19.45 at Shanghai Stadium. For highlights of the Shanghai sides' game, click here. For more 5 Things, click here.
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