Ordos, China

Hugo Miguel Salgado Martins, a soccer coach from Portugal, helps a girl put her boots on before training starts. [Photo/WeChat of Ordos Release]

Hugo Miguel Salgado Martins, a professional coach from Portugal, has been teaching soccer skills in Ordos city of North China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region for three years – and the kids under his expert care say he has made a real difference to both their playing and their attitude towards the sport.

Martins said that the unique enthusiasm and friendliness of the Ordos people was one important reason keeping him there.

When he first arrived in Ordos, his only plan was to experience the soccer culture in Inner Mongolia for a short while.

But through his contact with children during training, Martins found talented kids in desperate need of more professional guidance.

Martins said he also wants to help Ordos’ children learn more about the wider world of the sport.

The coach directs his charges during soccer training. [Photo/WeChat of Ordos Release]

With his determination to pass on and promote international soccer culture, Martins has so far stayed in Ordos for three years.

When talking about the challenges and differences he has encountered during his time there, Martins points to the huge climate difference between Ordos city and his hometown, a place with a warm and rainy winter in southern Portugal.

Ordos city has long and extreme cold winters with the temperatures usually dropping to minus 20 C, which brings a real challenge to football training and teaching, he added.

Martins teaches the kids to do warmups before training. [Photo/WeChat of Ordos Release]