China has a new football reform plan to develop the game. It includes professional clubs and leagues, national teams and grassroots football. In recent years, a large number of professional players from across the world have moved to China to ply their trade. In an exclusive interview with ChinAfrica, Ivorian pro Davy Claude Angan N'Guessan, playing for Hangzhou Greentown in the Chinese Super League, talks about the contrasting experience of playing in China compared to his home country, the football scenario in China, and how the financial clout backing the game in the world's most populous nation is having positive outcomes for the sport.  

ChinAfrica: What is your experience of playing football in China?

Davy Claude Angan: It's always the same everywhere. Only the first year was difficult, then the next two years were ok. At first, it was difficult because I had to adapt to the weather, to the environment, which was very different from the environment in my country. It was [also] difficult because of the language [which] I couldn't understand.

Now, it's ok. I can understand Chinese, I am used to the weather, so everything is fine. Every time you begin in a new place, it's difficult, you need some time to adapt.

What's different compared to the previous clubs you've played for?

There is no big difference. The only difference I can think of is that in my previous club, we were fighting for the title, for the championship. We had to win, we had high goals. Now, I'm playing for a mid-table club. If we are lucky and we manage to progress, that's good, but we don't have much ambition. The only ambition is to stay in first division, to stay in the first 10 clubs.

What is the football environment like in China? 

It's a bit difficult for a foreigner to play football in China, especially when we just arrive. It moves very fast, we are under pressure. We have more pressure than the Chinese players because in China, it's the foreigners [who] make the difference. That means that we have performance obligations, results obligations. We have to meet expectations.

But now, it's fine for me because I have earned the supporters' trust.

Has football in China progressed in recent years?

It has already progressed, and it's still progressing. Now, China has very good stadiums, they put a lot of money in football.

What is the football scene like in your current city Hangzhou?

In Hangzhou, we have a lot of young players, we train them very well. Football in Hangzhou is very professional, far more than in my country. In Côte d'Ivoire, football is not very professional because we don't have enough money to build stadiums, to train players. In China, it's the contrary. Hangzhou is a very good city for football [with] great facilities. So [it] can easily attract good players.

We have a very good staff. Even [though] the trainer changed recently, the team is still the same. We support each other, we have a very good professional and sportive atmosphere. I have two Tunisian colleagues, one Lebanese, one Brazilian; the others are Chinese. We get along very well. 

Hangzhou Greentown

The Hangzhou Greentown Football Club is a professional Chinese club playing in the Chinese Super League under license from the Chinese Football Association. The team is based in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, and their home stadium is the Hangzhou Huanglong Stadium with a seating capacity of 51,000. The club's main investor is Zhejiang-based Greentown China Holdings owned by real-estate tycoon Song Weiping. Founded on January 14, 1998, the club debuted in the third tier of China's football league in 1999.

Its newly appointed manager, nomadic Frenchman Philippe Troussier, is hailed in Africa for his success with Nigeria, South Africa and Burkina Faso. Troussier then moved on to Asia, winning the AFC Asian Cup with Japan in 2000 and being named AFC Coach of the Year.

A Football Journey

Davy Claude Angan N'Guessan, born in 1987 in Abidjan, started his football career at Entente Sportive de Bingerville, a football club in Côte d'Ivoire, before his transfer to Norwegian club Lyn Oslo in 2008. He decided to stay on playing football in Norway and signed for Hønefoss BK in 2010.

Angan's first big move was on January 12, 2011, when he transferred to top-division Norwegian club Molde FK. The transfer fee was estimated to be around $540,000. The striker enjoyed two successful seasons at Molde FK, which won the league title twice during that time. 

He was transferred to Chinese Super League club Hangzhou Greentown on January 26, 2013 for $1.6 million, making it one of the most expensive signings in the club's history. The 27-year-old is now in his third season at the club and is first choice striker. The Ivorian scored a total of 18 goals in his first two seasons with the club. He is renowned as the club's star player and wears the coveted number 10 shirt. Despite $1.6 million being a lot of money for a football player in China, this is a small amount compared to transfers paid by Chinese clubs such as Guangzhou Evergrande, who bought Argentinian Darío Conca in 2011 for $10 million, making him one of the highest paid players in the world.

Angan's contract expires at the end of 2016. He hopes his goals will help Hangzhou maintain a solid position in the league and push toward the top.