体坛英语新闻：Wang Shuang says Chinese players need support to play overseas

WUHAN, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese women's footballer Wang Shuang said Saturday Chinese players need a team to support them to play overseas, and confessed she might have stayed longer in Paris Saint-Germain if she had not been "distracted by the things off the pitch".

"I had to deal with many things all by myself in Paris, like communication with the club, training and nursing my injuries. Things off the pitch really made me stressed, and I couldn't fully concentrate on football," said Wang Shuang, who was a torch-bearer on the opening ceremony of the 7th Military World Games in Wuhan on Friday.

The elite attacking midfielder suffered goal drought in the 2019 France Women's World Cup as her team was eliminated in the quarterfinal 2-0 by Italy in late June.

"The distractions affected my performances on the World Cup," said the 2018 Asian Football Women's Player of the Year.

Wang, who joined the French powerhouse in August of 2018, decided to end the contract with PSG with one year left and returned to her hometown club in Wuhan on July 5.

Wang taking Wu Lei, Chinese star forward who plays for La Liga's Espanyol, as an example. "Wu is a big brother for me. He is a very good player. In the meantime, he has a good supporting team to take care of him off the pitch. They have been very helpful for him."

"I know the development of women's football is still far behind the men's football. I hope I can have such a team to support me in the future," she added.

"Playing for the national team is always my priority," she noted. "So I chose to leave the PSG, and I can focus more on football now."

"I learned a lot in Paris. The organization of the league and the professionalism of the players were all great," Wang expressed her gratitude to the club, in which she contributed eight goals and seven assists in 27 appearances.

Despite the obstacles during her stay in Paris, the 24-year-old still dreams about exploring high-level European football in the future. "Now I just want be concentrated and improve myself step by step. If I have another good chance to play in Europe, I will take it."

As a leading player in Chinese women's football, Wang is now preparing for the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics qualifiers.

"I am confident of my team. The coach called up many new faces, which is a motivation for our old players," said Wang.