Kitchee recently revealed its list of foreign players for the AFC Cup 2015 quarter-final against Kuwaiti side Kuwait SC. A few supporters were caught off-guard by the surprise omission of Spanish veteran Jorge Tarres, as Brazilian teammate Paulo Carreiro took over the former’s spot in the Kitchee attack.
Despite his obvious disappointment, the Kitchee sharp-shooter who is affectionately known as “Jordi” amongst the club’s supporters, displayed great professionalism and offered his well-wishes to the team. “It is a decision that is made by the club and I am obviously not happy about it. I feel like I have contributed to our achievement and deserve to play in the next round,” Jordi confessed. “However, I do have great respect for the club, the coaches and my teammates. Therefore I will work hard in training, support my teammates and help them to prepare for the AFC Cup quarter-final as best as I could. Paulo (Carreiro) might have taken my spot in the team for the next round but he is a very good player and I am sure he will do well.”
Instead of sulking and letting his head drop, Jordi is also determined to bounce back as a better player. “I am an experienced footballer and have spent most of my life in football. I have been through this kind of situation before when I was not selected for games and needed to bide my time. You just need to learn from the situation as it will make you stronger at the end of the day,” said the classy veteran.