Goncalves, who hired his own personal trainer around eight years ago, said players should also use their spare time for self-improvement.
Goncalves said the modern attitude sharply contrasted with the steelier outlook of former local players such as his ex-Kitchee and Hong Kong teammates, Lam Ka-wai and Lo Kwan-yee.
“They knew how to play football, how to be hard and cut space,” he added. “Now, you have to talk to young players all the time. In training, I would go in hard, shout and direct.”
Goncalves cited ex-Kitchee left-back Shinichi Chan, 22, who is excelling for Chinese Super League (CSL) club Shanghai Shenhua, as a role model for his contemporaries.
“There were lots of players with the same potential, but they didn’t do as much,” he added. “He had talent, but he also worked hard. We shouted at him a lot, but he always took it. He knows how to take advice.”
The 39-year-old obtained his passport in October 2015, but an injury prevented him from joining one of a cluster of interested CSL clubs before the January 1, 2016 cut-off for Hong Kong players to be considered locals.
He regretted not pushing for a deal that could have been terminated if he did not recover. “I could have had a long career in China,” Goncalves said.
Injuries have also limited him to 38 international caps since a June 2016 debut he called “one of my greatest moments”.
One such setback occurred in North Korea, in March 2018. Taken to a dark and deserted Pyongyang hospital, the centre-back was relieved when “someone finally came and switched on the lights”.
During an X-ray on his knee, a power cut plunged him back into darkness.
“Finally, they told me I was OK, and I’d be fit in one month,” Goncalves added. “Back in Hong Kong, I found out it was my ACL. I was out for nine months.”
https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3314877/hong-kong-footballer-says-young-players-need-push-themselves-harder