My Journey with Roby in China

By Airaldo Piva

My Journey with Roby in China

By Airaldo Piva

Airaldo Piva (left) and Mr.Roby Baggio (right)

The first time I could see with my eyes, or better, through my heart, how Roby Baggio is still remembered and loved in China, it has been immediately once we landed at Shanghai Pudong airport. After picking up the luggage and quickly proceeding through the international arrival area after the passport control, we found “unexpectedly” some hundreds of fans wearing Baggio T-shirts and waving colorful banners and photos, waiting for smiling and welcoming their idol in China. I am saying ‘’unexpectedly” because it was 5:30am and our flight schedule was supposed not to be disclosed to any media. Against my questions, I was said that some of the fans were coming faraway and had to travel for hours before reaching Pudong Airport where they spent all the night before welcoming and showing their love to the Italian soccer legend. At that time I could realize not only how Baggio is loved by Chinese people and through different generations, but also I could feel why. Despite the early wake up of the day before to reach in time Milano Malpensa airport from his house close to Vicenza, despite the jet lag and more than 12 hrs flight without sleeping, he stopped close to all his fans and patiently signed autographs to everyone on any possible available surface(photos, soccer balls, t-shirts, magazines, etc.), taking hundreds photos and giving smiles and showing his personal attention to everyone. I could feel from that initial experience how not only East and West were unities and brothers but that there was an association of humanity beyond that. Already that simple images of harmony between Baggio and such colorful human swarm started giving that journey worth and meaning.

It was the 3rd time for Baggio and his manager Vittorio, to visit China. The first time it was when he was still playing for AC Milan while the second one was in 2007 when he came formally to Beijing to promote some Olympic commemorative medals. This time he accepted my own invitation to come free from any formal role and engagements. It took me some time to convince his manager Vittorio and Roby to visit Zhejiang together with me. I am pretty sure that 2 elements, among others, have been crucial and important for their decision in visiting China again. Through my information and tales, both Vittorio and Roby have been inspired and fascinated by the founder of Hengdian Group (Xu Wenrong) and by the present chairman (Xu Yong’an) regarded as modern “heroes”. Hengdian Group, based in Zhejiang, is in fact not only a large private company leader in their own business but also actively involved in social matters, owing schools, hospitals, temples etc. So Roby and Vittorio reallywant to meet personally both of them to say thanks for what they did and they are doing for the entire society.

The second element is related to my own experience with China. Specially during my first visits to China in early 90’s, it was important for me not to prepare too much in details my journey and often use the magic formula ‘Kai Xin’ to get along and succeed in the relations with Chinese people. If you have too many targets or if you are looking for something too specific and narrow, you will lose your freedom and your capability to enjoy every single moment and positive human relations. Under this view, I prepared Baggio schedule focusing his visit just on limited and meaningful places (Shanghai, Hangzhou and Hengdian) and comparing his previous visit to China, with no rigid and formal targets.

The 48 years old, former FIFA world player of the year, retired in 2004 after playing at the major Italian league teams like Fiorentina, Juventus, AC Milan and Inter, is still considered in China one of the biggest soccer idol. His career was affected by many severe injuries but mainly thanks to his personal sufferance and spirit of sacrifice he always succeeded to overcome the difficult times and returned stronger than before. Beside his unique and inimitable soccer talent, he is also known for the peculiar hairstyle (“Codino”), that he wore for most of his career, and for his Buddhist belief. He is loved and respected for his personality and fair attitude both when he was a player and nowadays in the normal life. Baggio was nominated Goodwill Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization while for his human rights activism, in 2010 he received the Man of Peace award from the Nobel Peace Prize. As for his personality and career , I do think he could be the right person to regenerate and reconstruct the soccer as a real sport and not just as pure business, especially among the young generations through the schools and sports associations.

Whenever I recall the days of our journey in China, it sweeps over me in memory a flood of emotions and engraved images. Together with Roby and his manager we have met many people and shaken hundreds of hands but the most touching and emotional moments have been the visit to Zhejiang Sports Training Centre for the Disabled. The centre, located in the Hangzhou Xihu District under the Zhejiang province disabled persons’federation, has the main target to help introducing some sports activity to people with serious handicaps and cultivate outstanding disabled sports talents. When we visited the centre, the directors explained us that the centre’s sports facilities are among the most advanced of all China and undertakes the task for the training and match of the disabled sports teams at or above the provincial level. During the tour I could see impressive and well organized basketball courts, table tennis hall, badminton hall, sitting volleyball Hall, swimming pool, blind football field and many other competition venues.

the unexpected welcome

All the tour at the centre has been remarkable and overwhelming but I would like here to mention the most emotionally penetrating for myself and I am sure also for Roby. When we visited the swimming pool, there was a young man swimming very fast and it seems to me under the conviction and faith to reach some great targets. Later he has been helped to come out from the pool and sit in his disabled chair, visibly breathless and excited in meeting a sport legend like Roby Baggio. His name is Yang Yang and we were said he won already four gold medals at 2012 London Olympic. Roby smiled and encouragedhim saying that he is an example for all the people practicing sports. Yang Yang was very touched and replied that he would have tried to win in the future the 5th medal for him. Through that moments I could clearly feel how the words’ language can disclose only a small part of the real truth and human feelings while the heart language can more easily find the way reach the truth and the soul of the people. The glances between Roby and Yang Yang was transparent and straight but inscrutable and impenetrable through any words.

Later we went to the blind football field to meet the local team players. Zhejiang blind football team has been founded in 2005 and it is composed by 10 players, 1 goalkeeper and 4 professional coaches. All players come from Zhejiang blind school and the team reached very high results and won prestigious awards at their category level. For Roby and for all of us it was the first time to meet a blind football team and honestly we could not even image the existence. Also for Roby, despite he was a professional soccer player, it was hard to assume how to run and shoot without the sight…..additionally comparing normal football players, there is always an higher risk to get injured.

Roby was very touched in assisting at their training. Highly emotional and heartfelt has been when it has been asked to Roby to play with a strip covering his own eyes so to really give him the feeling and made him deeply understand what it means to play football for a complete blind person. Also, under this condition, it has been asked to Roby to take some penalties. Thanks to his talent and goal “instinct” he could score most of the penalties but he could realize the incredible courage these extraordinary players must have to overcome the difficulties.

After this experience, Roby stated that many professional football players, some of them childish and spoiled, should come here to learn something important from them.

It is always difficult to reach some targets without love and sacrifice more than any other things, including the sight which is apparently one of the most precious gift we have received in our life. Often, like these brave players, the mountain trees must grow up in difficult and disadvantageous conditions comparing the “normality” but the courage and the determination help them in pulling out their own frozen and deformed branches towards the sunshine and give enough strength to their roots to go deeper and deeper into the soil until to reach the spring water.

I have stored hundreds of real images and sincere smiles in my memory. This journey has been very meaningful and had positive effects on me and the same I believe also on Roby and Vittorio. I like thinking that for all of us there was the recognition of a sense of unity and association over the differences between East and West which cannot be understood simply reading books. Even if we cannot talk too much with people we met, we could feel by our heart that their dreams, wishes, fantasies and hopes throughout their lives are similar to ours, like the drops of the same ocean.

During the five days we spent together, we came to know each other thoroughly and we had chance to talk a lot of and about many different subjects, especially during the night before sleeping. Knowing more about his personality and heart, I am very confident that Roby will keep using his passion, creativity and courage in dribbling the daily difficulties and scoring new goals in his next matches in life.

Baggio and blind football team