Small ball or big ball, this is a question. Germany's star table tennis player Timo Boll, once world No. 1 in the ITTF rankings, also loves football and even played as a striker at a local club when he was a kid. In an recent interview with Xinhua, he said he believes that the hard-working and patient Chinese will manage to get nearer to the world's best with the help of a well-designed football development strategy.

Xinhua: "That's something you would need in football too, a fighting spirit and a team spirit. China recently has revealed plans to establish football as a national sport. What do you expect from China's football in the future?"

Boll: "I'm looking forward with great interest as to how the plans of President Xi Jinping develop. I don't think the people in China expect a rapid short-term growth. China won't win the next World Cup. Firstly the Chinese people generally are very patient and it is one reason why I feel so at home in China. However the Chinese are ambitious too. Meaning: Once they have a goal, they constantly work towards achieving it and it will be the same way with football too."

Xinhua: Do you expect China to become one of the world's top football nations?

Boll: "China will manage to get nearer to the world's best. Of that I am sure about. But of course it will take a while. It's not possible to copy the so successful table tennis system one to one that quickly. But China has a long breath when they start on the road to something they really want."

Xinhua: What will be the most important points if football is to be developed successfully?

Boll: "When playing for Shandong Luneng in the Chinese Super League, I saw a big football training center next to our one for table tennis. I expect many more to be built all over the country soon. I have actually talked to football experts in Germany about China's new plans for the game. All of them said that China should not do the same mistakes as the USA in the 70s when trying to push football by bringing in aging football stars from all over the world. If you sign big name players then pick just a few very good ones but the main thing is to concentrate on developing your own talents."

Xinhua: You live and have lived in both China and Germany. Germany is an established football country and football is the No.1 sport. Nevertheless there has been an upsurge since 2005, especially since the 2006 World Cup.

Boll: "It was like an explosion. Whenever the World Cup is taking place or the national team is playing almost the entire nation is glued to the big and small screens. Everybody is experiencing the feel good factor. One of the main reasons for the new success which culminated in winning the 2014 World Cup was the academy system every professional club had to set up. And they had to be of a high standard. They are a good role model for China too. As I have heard, football is starting to be taught in Chinas schools. It's the first step to develop the game properly."

Xinhua: What else?

Boll: "A good national team is one thing, but next to it a nationwide academy and league system is vital as are hot-spots in every region where you coach the talented youngsters. If it is true what I've heard, the Chinese football association has convinced some of the leading table tennis figures to help put an effective system in place for football."

Xinhua: By the way, do you have any kind of connection to football in general?

Boll: "When I was a kid I just to play a bit but at some stage you have to make a decision (laughing) - like you said, small ball or big ball. Whenever I can, I follow the games but unfortunately most of the time I'm training or playing matches."

Xinhua: You're a football fan?

Boll: "Oh yes, definitely. I try to see as many games as I can on TV. Nowadays you can watch many games of the big European leagues in China - and the Bundesliga too, which is great. Many Bundesliga games kick off - for instance Saturdays - at around 10 or 11 o`clock in the evening in China and our training or games are over, so we can watch."

Xinhua: Any special club?

Boll: "Believe it or not - I do have a favorite club - despite my admiration for the German national team with whom I once trained with in 2010."

Xinhua: And?

Boll: "Despite being born not far away from Frankfurt - I'm a Borussia Dortmund fan. I once even played table tennis with them."

Xinhua: "Who won?"

Boll: (laughing) "You could see the guys all had an eye for a ball - no matter what size."

Xinhua: You yourself had a brilliant football career?

Boll: "I wouldn't call it a career and it was far from being brilliant - first of all, because it was too short. I was a striker in the U-9s and U-11s at a little club called TSV 1875 Hoechst."

Xinhua: Did you score a goal?

Boll: "Not only one, there were several goals; in one year I was the top-scorer. But in the end, it was the best decision to stick to table tennis."

Xinhua: You are German, but spend a lot of time in China. Do you see any similarities regarding the people?

Boll: "The Chinese are in many ways similar to the Germans. They are hard-working and success-orientated - and meanwhile they have various opportunities to build their working lives. The people are very focused on furthering themselves, they open themselves up and get on. The speed of developments in China is extraordinary and I'm sure you will soon see that in football too. When I came to China for the first time in 1997, I saw how hard the people work. I did not hear many complaining about the circumstances but I saw many with an open mind doing the best they could - and that was something hugely impressive for me."

Xinhua: Is there anything which you would regard as being exceptionally important in your sports career? Something you would say is important for both table-tennis and football?

Boll: "That's hard to say and maybe something very specific for each and every athlete. So I can only speak for myself. Fair play is something which is indispensable - I would never want to win a game if the victory was not truly mine. I think that is something which relevant for every sport."