Argentinian Ambassador to China Marcelo Suárez Salvia visited the Rugao base of the Nantong Football Training Center on Aug 17 to cheer for the ongoing Jiangsu Football City League, or Suchao, with nearly 30,000 spectators.

Before the match began, he enthusiastically shouted in fluent Chinese, "Go, Team Nantong!" into the camera.

Argentina is globally renowned for its football, with superstars like Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi idolized by many Chinese fans. Marcelo himself is a football enthusiast. "In China, I've found that football is very popular, especially in Suchao, where 13 cities across the province showcase their excellent skills and attract widespread public participation," he said.

This is his second visit to Nantong, a city he finds beautiful and happy. He was delighted to cheer for the Nantong team in person at a Suchao match for the first time.

Marcelo noted that Nantong, known as the "hometown of sports in China", has a well-developed youth football training system with hundreds of football-specialized schools, serving as a crucial platform for discovering new football talents. "We plan to invite Argentinian football players to play in Nantong, hoping to see a growing football population in the near future," he said. He believes that with concerted efforts from all parties, Nantong and even Chinese football will achieve significant progress in competitive levels. "We are very willing to provide such cooperation opportunities."

Beyond football, the ambassador is optimistic about economic and trade cooperation between Nantong and Argentina. He said Argentina and China are excellent trade partners, with highly complementary economies. There is still significant room for improvement in bilateral relations, and Nantong can play a positive role.

"Argentina is undergoing a major transformation, and the business environment will become more favorable. We are committed to helping Nantong entrepreneurs find potential opportunities in Argentina and welcome them to discover new business prospects, particularly in textiles, shipbuilding, and machinery manufacturing, fostering more exchanges and cooperation," he said.