On August 21, 2024, the head coach of the Chinese men's national football team, Croatian Ivan Krunoslav, announced the 27-man squad for the first two rounds of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers. Among the selected players is the Brazilian-born Chinese professional footballer Alan Douglas Borges de Carvalho, commonly known as "Alan."
Fans of Brazilian top team Fluminense FC and Austrian top team FC Red Bull Salzburg will remember Alan fondly, as he shone brightly for both clubs earlier in his career. Chinese football enthusiasts began to take notice of Alan starting in 2015, during his six-year stint with Guangzhou Evergrande (now "Guangzhou FC"), Tianjin Tianhai (now defunct), and Beijing Guoan in the Chinese Super League. His exceptional performances caught the attention of the Chinese Football Association, leading to his naturalization as a Chinese citizen in early 2020. This move significantly bolstered the Chinese national team's prospects of qualifying for the World Cup.
Now 35, Alan continues his career in China, playing for the newly promoted Chinese Super League club, Qingdao West Coast FC. His journey from South America to Asia's top leagues is a testament to his enduring talent and adaptability.
How does 35-year-old Alan secure a spot in China's national football team, which has multiple naturalized players?
A close look at the training roster of the Chinese national football team reveals that, apart from the goalkeepers, the players' ages mostly range between 23 and 32 years old. In contrast, Alan was selected for the national team as an "older player." Among the 27 players, there are two other naturalized players besides Alan: Jiang Guangtai (originally named Tyias Charles Browning) and Fei Nanduo (originally named Fernando Henrique da Conceição). Jiang Guangtai, who is 30 years old, plays as a central defender, while Fei Nanduo, 31 years old, plays as a forward, the same position as Alan.
China has naturalized a total of 11 players, and among the current active naturalized players, the most well-known to Chinese fans is Alan's former teammate in Guangzhou, Elkeson (originally named Elkeson de Oliveira Cardoso), who currently plays for Chengdu Rongcheng in the Chinese Super League (CSL). Elkeson was the first naturalized player for the Chinese national team. He was the top scorer in the CSL from 2013 to 2015 and has won five CSL titles and two AFC Champions League titles, achieving much more in China than Alan and being the same age as him. That Coach Ivanković ultimately chose Alan over Elkeson is likely not surprising to those who frequently watch the CSL: in the current CSL season, Alan has outperformed Elkeson in terms of playing minutes, goals scored, and other statistics. Alan has scored 11 goals in this year’s CSL, placing him ninth on the top scorers' list (with 8 of the top 10 being foreign players). Meanwhile, Elkeson, now primarily used as a substitute, has yet to score five goals this season.
Despite being 35 years old, Alan continues to dominate on the field, maintaining an exceptional level of performance. Factors such as his intense training regimen and disciplined lifestyle play a decisive role in his sustained success
(The image shows Alan competing against opposing players during the China vs. Australia match in the final round of the 2022 Qatar World Cup Asian Qualifiers.)
What is the special connection between MACY-PAN and Alan?
Alan's ability to maintain high-intensity performance on the field, while still being highly efficient, is closely tied to his regular training regimen and recovery methods. When it comes to recovery training, facilities like leg extension machines, balance bikes, leg presses, and balance boards are commonly used. For those looking to relax and train in a lying or seated position, hyperbaric oxygen chambers are a popular choice among athletes. As a football player, aerobic exercise takes a significant toll on the body, and a hyperbaric oxygen chamber not only provides a large amount of oxygen but also helps reduce exercise-induced fatigue, speeds up recovery, and minimizes the risk of sports injuries.
Earlier this year, during a casual conversation with a friend, Alan was introduced to the hyperbaric oxygen chambers of Shanghai Baobang Medical Equipment Co., Ltd. (hereafter referred to as MACY-PAN). The reason why MACY-PAN's hyperbaric oxygen chambers were recommended to Alan is that, after 17 years of development, MACY-PAN has become a leading manufacturer of hyperbaric chambers in Asia. Their customers span 126 countries and regions across five continents, supported by large-scale production facilities and excellent management, R&D, sales, and manufacturing teams. This is how a bridge of friendship was built between Alan and MACY-PAN.
The staff at MACY-PAN introduced Alan to their range of products, which are mainly divided into two categories: soft hyperbaric chambers and hard hyperbaric chambers. Among the soft chambers, there are lying-down models like the ST801, ST80L, and ST901, and seated models like the MC4000 and L1. For hard hyperbaric oxygen chambers, there are lying-down models like the HP1501 and HP2202, as well as the multi-person model HE5000, which can accommodate up to four people at once, allowing Alan to invite his club teammates to join him in oxygen therapy sessions.
Why does Alan prefer the hard hyperbaric oxygen chamber over the soft one?
After multiple discussions and consultations with MACY-PAN staff, Alan ultimately chose the hard hyperbaric oxygen chamber HP1501-100 as his "recovery partner." Hyperbaric oxygen chambers generally occupy 2 to 3 square meters of space. Soft chambers are known for being lightweight, easy to install and disassemble, and can be conveniently stored when not in use, saving space. On the other hand, hard hyperbaric chambers, weighing over 150kg, are better suited for long-term placement in a designated indoor area.
Alan values the efficiency of his recovery training, and the hard hyperbaric oxygen chamber eliminates the need to disassemble and reassemble it each time. The HP1501 is a cylindrical hard shell hyperbaric chamber available in four sizes: 75cm, 85cm, 90cm, and 100cm, or 30inch, 34inch, 36inch, 40inch. Additionally, the HP1501 offers a maximum pressure of 1.6 ATA, which is higher than that of any soft shell hyperbaric chamber.
| Model | HP1501-75 | HP1501-85 | HP1501-90 | HP1501-100 |
| Pressure | 1.5ATA/1.6ATA | |||
| Material | Stainless steel+ Polycarbonate | |||
| Size(D*L) | 75*220cm(30*87inch) | 85*220cm(34*87inch) | 90*220cm(36*87inch) | 100*220cm(40*87inch) |
| Weight | 140kg | 160kg | 170kg | 220kg |
From the photo of Alan with the HP1501-100 below, we can see that Alan purchased a black chamber with his name "ALAN CARVALHO" printed on the body of the HP1501-100. The original color of MACY-PAN's hard hyperbaric oxygen chambers is white, making this customized color and design a choice specifically made by Alan. MACY-PAN also welcomes all customers to customize their preferred colors and designs on the exterior of their chambers.
In the most recent episode of CCTV5's program "Total Soccer"(CCTV, also known as the Sports Channel, part of the China Central Television family of networks, is the main sports broadcaster in the People's Republic of China.), Alan was interviewed (https://tv.cctv.com/2024/08/17/VIDEVmjYOAHzLqQh4CipwQZD240817.shtml?spm=C53026950326.Pbp675gU0p23.0.0), during which he showcased his "companion" in training—the HP1501-100. Alan demonstrated the external operation of the HP1501-100 as well as how he uses the oxygen mask inside the chamber for treatment.
With the support of the MACY-PAN 1501, we look forward to seeing Alan and all the Chinese national team players help China break out of Asia and onto the World Cup stage, something many Chinese fans have been eagerly anticipating for more than 20 years. After all, the last time China participated in the World Cup was way back in 2002, and Alan has expressed his desire to play in the World Cup since his naturalization as a Chinese citizen.
MACY-PAN has many other customers who are professional athletes, including UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili, world-renowned Strongman athlete Matjaz Belsak, and World Judo Championship 90kg champion Nemanja Majdov, among others.
Among all of MACY-PAN's professional athlete customers, Alan holds special significance as the first naturalized professional athlete to choose MACY-PAN.
If you would like to learn more about MACY-PAN, please feel free to contact us
Post time: Aug-23-2024