Former Napoli captain Marek Hamsik has begun his new professional adventure in the Chinese League, with the Dalian Yifang jersey. The Slovakian discussed his move to the Asian club in an interview with Il Mattino: "The Chinese league is very different from Serie A. Here the level of football is lower and also the tempo is different. I don't consider myself a star. I received a warm welcom but I want to be treated like everyone else. Our goal is to avoid relegation, finishing top 8, however, would be a great achievement".
Despite the warm welcome, the midfielder admitted that he feels a bit nostalgic of the city that has been his home for over a decade: "I miss the food, my friend and much more. Naples was my home for 12 years, I miss the warmth of the people and the joy of the San Paolo. Their game against Juventus? Napoli dominated that game, so I can't say that Juventus are out of their league. However, the points dropped against other teams are the difference-maker. Juventus rarely drop any points. If Napoli ahd still been in the Scudetto race, maybe I would have stayed. Winning the Scudetto in Naples, making all the Neapolitans happy, would have been amazing. I wouldn't have missed that for anything".
Finally, Hamsik returned on the moment he said goodbye to Napoli: "It wasn't like I always imagined. I was subbed off against Sampdoria but I didn't know how things could go. It was fast, immediate. I agreed to the move in a short time and then discussed about it with my teammates. Then the negotiations went on for a bit longer but I knew that the clubs would have reached an agreement eventually. I'll return to Naples to properly say goodbye to the fans. Some Chinese clubs show interest in me in the past too, but I didn't feel ready to leave. This time it was different".
