Jonathan White is a Hong Kong-based writer and editor focusing on sports and culture. He is also the co-founder of the Chinese food website TheCleaverQuarterly.com. Twitter: @jmawhite
On New Year's Day in 2003, Chinese soccer was at its peak, with the national team coming off its first-ever World Cup appearance and two ascendant stars — Li Tie and Sun Jihai — playing with big-time clubs in England. When Li and Sun's respective teams faced off, it was must-see TV in China.
As Chinese soccer fans watch the World Cup — once again devoid of any Chinese players — we ask: What might the ultimate Chinese World Cup team have looked like?
This was our only way of publishing a Qatar 2022 World Cup preview without leaving out China.
Oscar, the former Chelsea midfielder, has returned to Brazil from Shanghai Port, where he played for more than five years. He isn’t the only foreign soccer star who’s left China in recent months.