The ideal Chinese World Cup team

Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 and Patrice Evra might not seem like they have a lot in common, but they are apparently in agreement that China can become a football power.

That was one of Xi’s “Three Wishes” back in 2011, though his World Cup dreams do not get much mention nowadays. Leave it to former Manchester United and France defender Patrice Evra to pick up the slack, as he recently told Xinhua of his confidence in Chinese soccer. “I think China can be one of the greatest nations of football if they really focus on it and invest in it,” Evra told the Chinese state news agency from the sidelines of the Web Summit in Lisbon, Portugal, earlier this month.

Xinhua no doubt questioned Evra in the hope of getting him to say something kind about Chinese soccer in the wake of the FIFA World Cup, which began over the weekend. But Evra went on to add some interesting details: “I want more Chinese people playing in European football,” he said. “We need more of them to come to Europe, and we are going to know more about them and discover them.”

His comments have gotten some mileage in Chinese media outlets and online, as Chinese fans watch another World Cup from which their home country is absent (its lone appearance being 2002). And it’s made us wonder: Is Evra’s wish at all likely?

Discovering a Chinese star player might be the dream for most sports, but soccer has failed to find its version of Yáo Míng 姚明 (and for that matter, the NBA has yet to find another player to fill Yao’s size 18s). Right now might even be the lowest point when it comes to Chinese players flying the flag overseas — there are currently no Chinese players at anything approaching a major European club or even any club in one of the big five leagues of England, France, Italy, Germany, and Spain.

Chinese soccer has essentially shut itself off to the outside world during the past three years of COVID zero, but even before the pandemic, there weren’t too many success stories. To find the greats of Chinese soccer, we have to look backwards.

So what might a starting 11 of the best Chinese players to have impressed overseas look like, and would they have helped the country do better than their sole World Cup appearance in 2002? The following is the result of our thought experiment, featuring players who have burnished their reputations outside of China.

The fact that we had to go for an unheralded 3-2-3-2 formation serves to highlight the difficulties faced by China’s coaches over the years (for the record, the team used a 5-3-2 and 5-4-1 at the 2002 World Cup). Also, we have opted for a solitary substitute like the good old days.

Goalkeeper

Chow Chee Keong (仇志强 Chóu Zhìqiáng)

Chinese goalkeepers tend to stay at home, where Chinese Super League (CSL) rules dictate that goalies have to be Chinese — so Chow, a Chinese-Malaysian, is a case of what might have been. He would have been eligible to compete for China, but it’s all somewhat of a moot point, as the PRC was not part of FIFA until 1979.

Chow was at West Ham United as a youth player in 1966, when some of the first team were helping England to win the World Cup. Chow only played for lower-league Bedford Town in England before moving to Hong Kong, where he shined as part of a league that was the envy of Asia. Chow – who was known as “Crazy Sword” the “Asian Steel Gate,” was named Asian Goalkeeper of the Year five times in a row from 1966 to 1970.

Defenders

Sūn Xiáng 孙祥, left back

The answer to the pub quiz question, “Who was the first Chinese player to appear in the UEFA Champions League?” is Sun Xiang. Sun played against Arsenal and Liverpool in the 2006-07 knockout stages and made five Eredivisie appearances while on loan at Dutch side PSV Eindhoven under Ronald Koeman. He returned to China after half a season.

Sūn Jìhǎi 孙继海, right back

Sun Jihai arrived at Crystal Palace on loan with fellow countryman Fàn Zhìyì 范志毅 in the summer of 1998 — the pair becoming the first from China to play in England. After returning to Dalian, Sun moved to EPL side Manchester City in 2002 and went on to become a fan favorite and regular starter, playing 123 times for the club in the league over six seasons. Sun, who also played at center back, then had a less illustrious season with Championship side Sheffield United before returning to China.

Fàn Zhìyì 范志毅, center back

While Sun Jihai would find fame away from Selhurst Park, Fan Zhiyi stayed at Crystal Palace, establishing himself on the team and becoming captain. The central defender would play almost 100 games for the Eagles over three seasons, and is still referred to as a “cult hero” by the club. Fan also turned out for Scottish side Dundee United — becoming the first Chinese player to play in Scotland — before returning to China ahead of the 2002 World Cup. He later played for the Welsh side Cardiff City.

Midfielders

Zhèng Zhì 郑智, defensive midfield

“ZZ” went to English Premier League side Charlton Athletic on loan in January 2007 and played 12 times, scoring once, before heading back to Shandong Luneng at the end of the season. He returned to South London on a permanent deal the following season with the club in the second tier, playing almost every game. He played less as The Addicks struggled in the 2008-09 season, and left once the team was relegated, signing for Scottish giants Celtic and long-term admirer Tony Mowbray. He left at the end of his sole season after falling out of favor under new boss Neil Lennon, moving to Guangzhou Evergrande.

Lǐ Tiě 李铁, defensive midfield

Li Tie arrived at Everton after the 2002 World Cup and swiftly won fans over after speculation that the loan deal was merely to benefit club sponsor Kejian. Li was an English Premier League regular for David Moyes and signed a permanent deal a year later. His time at Everton was marred by injury, and he barely played again before being released in 2006. It was a similar story at Sheffield United, where he spent a season before heading back home to China.

Hāo Jùnmǐn 蒿俊闵, center midfielder

Hao Junmin joined a star-studded Schalke 04 in January 2010 from Tianjin TEDA after twice being named China’s young player of the year. His time in the Bundesliga would end 18 months later after 11 Bundesliga appearances, three German Cup games, and two in the UEFA Champions League. Schalke won the German Cup in 2011.

Happy Birthday, #Hao Junmin! 🎉
Der Ex-Knappe wird heute 3⃣2⃣ Jahre alt 🙌🏽 #S04 pic.twitter.com/FXaM20SmFA

— FC Schalke 04 (@s04) March 24, 2019

Shào Jiāyī 邵佳一, attacking midfield

Shao Jiayi spent nine seasons in Germany with 1860 Munich, Energie Cottbus, and MSV Duisburg, including 67 games and four goals in the top flight after arriving following the 2002 World Cup (where he was sent off in China’s game against Turkey). The Budesliga’s official website calls Shao a “Bundesliga legend,” just like Chen, while he also impressed in the second tier, where he racked up another 100 appearances and 16 more goals.

Wǔ Lěi 武磊, attacking midfield

The CSL’s youngest-ever player and goalscorer left for Spain’s Espanyol in January 2019 after lifting the 2018 CSL title and finishing as the CSL’s top scorer from the wing. His time in Catalunya included an equalizing goal in a draw against city rivals Barcelona, and goals in the Europa League as well as relegation. He returned to Shanghai SIPG in August having played more than 100 games for Espanyol and helping them back to the top flight as champions.

Forwards

Chén Yáng 陈洋, center forward

A true trailblazer, Chen made history as the first Chinese footballer to play in the German Bundesliga in 1998, and soon became the first Chinese to score, netting for Eintracht Frankfurt against Borussia Monchengladbach in September 1998. In his three seasons in Frankfurt, he would score 16 goals across 65 league appearances before notching up two more seasons in the second tier with Hamburg hipster favorites St. Pauli. He was unlucky not to score for China against Turkey at the 2002 World Cup, in a moment that all Chinese soccer fans will remember:

Dǒng Fāngzhuó 董芳卓, center forward

There was never a more high-profile Chinese signing than Dong joining Manchester United in 2004. Work permit rules would see him farmed out to Belgian second-tier side Royal Antwerp, where he impressed, until he could become eligible to join the Old Trafford side in January 2007. He made his EPL debut that May as the champions were given a guard of honor by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, before an appearance in the UEFA Champions League the following campaign, which United would go on to win. Dong left the club for Dalian in August 2008.

Substitute

Zhāng Yùníng 张玉宁, center forward

Unusually, Zhang started his career overseas as a teenager with Dutch side Vitesse. He impressed enough to earn a move to Chinese-owned English Premier League side West Bromwich Albion, but was sent on loan to Germany’s Werder Bremen (making no first-team appearances at either) and then ADO Den Haag in the Netherlands, where he struggled with injury. Now at Beijing Guoan he has been linked with a return to Europe with struggling Schalke, where he’d get a chance to fulfill his early promise.