ZZ on top as London comes calling
With a six-month loan contract signed with an English Premier League club and the prospect of a permanent transfer, at 26 years of age Chinese soccer star Zheng Zhi finally has the world at his feet.
Most Chinese players make their big move abroad at a younger age, European clubs optimistic they can turn the player into China's first superstar. Suspensions, failed trials and bankruptcy have forced Zheng to take a different road to Europe, but now he has made it he will be treading the same fine line between success and failure.
Zheng's new club, London-based Charlton Athletic, desperately need him to be a success. Second from bottom of the league and having already sacked two managers this season, time is running out to avoid financially-punishing relegation.
Before boarding his plane for London on Friday, Zheng was adamant he was going to be a success: "As China's best footballer, I know that I can spend a lot of time on the bench. I am ready to play as a substitute at first, but that will not be enough. I have only one goal there, which is to play more games. I will not let the fans down."
"I think they were more impressed with my organizing ability when I was given a trial last November," Zheng was quoted as saying by Xinhua News Agency. "They have very good strikers but are weak in the midfield. I am sure I can do well there."
Charlton will be hoping Zheng can turn in the same sort of consistent performances as Sun Jihai, Zheng's Chinese national teammate who plays for Manchester City.
"Seeing Sun play in the English Premier League, I made up my mind that one day I would also go there. Now joining Charlton Athletic is a dream come true," Zheng said.
The pressures of the Premier League are a far cry from the Chinese Super League where Zheng spent his first seven seasons as a professional. Born in Liaoning Province, he made his way up through the provincial junior and youth teams before stepping up to Liaoning's top-flight club in 1999.
He didn't stay long, moving down to southern Shenzhen in 2001. With pace, tremendous energy, solid technique and an eye for goal, Zheng swiftly become a fixture in a successful team. Another important attribute is his versatility: While his best position is in the centre of midfield, he is comfortable at center back and full back, and on occasion he has even played up front for a China national team desperately short of strike power.
In 2002 Shenzhen Jianlibao won the domestic title, and Zheng was named Chinese player of the year. But things went downhill from there, and in 2004 the players made the headlines when they went on strike after the club failed to pay their wages. It emerged that new owner Zhang Hai's overspending had saddled the club with unpaid wages of RMB 7 million ($900,000) among other debts.
Zheng was transferred to Shandong Luneng in $1.5 million deal, a huge sum for Chinese soccer. It proved good value though as he inspired his new club to China Super League titles in 2005 and 2006. Last year they also clinched the league title, Zheng notching an impressive 21 goals thanks in part to his free kick ability.
Shandong and China teammate Li Jinyu, who had a brief stint in France with Nancy, was excited about Zheng's prospects: "It is a good chance for his career. I hope he will prove that a Chinese player is able to play in the Premier League. His success will pave the way for more Chinese players."
China's Number 1 goalkeeper Li Leilei, who also plays for Shandong, was optimistic: "As his national team-mate, I am proud of him. He should play his own style of football and win a place in the Charlton line-up."
European scouts first began noticing Zheng in 2004, and while national teammates such as Shao Jiayi earned big moves, Zheng missed out. German Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin offered him a trial in early November that year, but decided not to take him on.
He then sought to impress at English Premier League side Southampton, but with the club mired in a relegation struggle similar to Charlton this season, then manager Harry Redknapp KO'd the deal, saying at the time: "You could see he was a good player, but he was not quite what we were looking for. We really need someone with premiership experience."
Zheng has an impressive record for the China national team, his 10 goals in 31 games since his 2002 debut against Syria one of the few rays of light in one of the team's darkest periods. National head coach Zhu Guanghu described his move as "good news".
"I hope more and more Chinese players will have a chance to play abroad. It is beneficial to the team," he added.
Olympic team coach Ratomir Dujkovic, who led Ghana to the second round of the FIFA 2006 World Cup in Germany, bemoaned the potential loss of one of his three chosen over-23 players from his future squads: "I'll have to find another person in the midfield to replace him. But it's too difficult!"
Few doubt Zheng's ability on the field, but questions remain over his discipline. In a stormy Asian Football Association (AFC) Champions League quarterfinal clash with Saudi Arabia's Al Ittihad in September 2005 Zheng was sent from the field, along with Shandong's coach Lijbisa Tumbakovic and Bulgarian international Predrag Pazin. The AFC disciplinary committee found him guilty of abusing and spitting at the referee and banned him from competitive football for six months, though this punishment was later changed to a ban from just the AFC Champions League.
Prior to the World Cup in Germany, Zheng was again in the headlines after a friendly clash between China and France. After 10 minutes Zheng, captaining the side in the absence of Li Weifeng, challenged French striker Djibril Cisse and broke his leg. Cisse was ruled out of the tournament, but Zheng denied any malicious intent, saying "any professional player can be injured on the pitch".
While some Chinese players have been a hit in England, others have failed to make any impact. Take the situation at Everton in 2002: With a sponsorship deal with Chinese tech firm Kejian came two Chinese players, Li Tie and Li Weifeng. Manager David Moyes was reportedly happy to be signing Li Tie, but had reservations about Li Weifeng. While Li Tie established himself as a starter in central midfield, Li Weifeng made one just one appearance before returning to his club Shenzhen.
Charlton manager Alan Pardew is looking forward to working with his new player, even though he was not in charge at the time of Zheng's trial: "A week's training is probably important for him and me to get familiarized with each other."
"I would suggest being an Asian player that his fitness levels will be the least of my worries. They are usually very well conditioned. I expect him to be in a pretty good condition, knowing he has got a big challenge here. It will be a big step up for him in the Premiership."
Charlton fans are hopeful he can turn the team's fortunes around. According to Trevor Feeley, editor of fan website netaddicks.com, he has a chance to be a big hit: "If he is good enough he will be pressed into first team action as quickly as possible."
But, he warned, "Charlton don't have a good record with players who come from foreign countries with a big reputation."
"Karim Bagheri came here from Iran with the 'Asian Zinedine Zidane' tag and he managed just 20 minutes of first team football. I did hear he was good at ping pong though! We all hope that Zheng Zhi does well for us and if he does he will quickly become a cult hero."
Agencies contributed to this report
(China Daily 01/09/2007 page22)
