What’s Wrong With Our Dong?
July 18, 2008
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…. A few months after Chinese striker Dong Fang Zhuo signed for United in January 2004, I was travelling across Dong’s remarkable mother country on an extended holiday with a mate.
On the sleeper train from Beijing to Shanghai we discovered that the fellow who had spent the first several hours snoring heavily in our rickety berth was in fact a fluent English speaker.
More remarkably, he happened to be a fairly senior coach at a Chinese football club who had travelled the world extensively and had an encyclopaedic knowledge of the world game.
We discussed our respective clubs - he Shanghai Shenhua and me United. (The other fellow is a Blackburn Rovers fan, so he barely affords a mention.) I mentioned Dong Fang Zhuo’s name to my Chinese interlocutor, who promptly snorted:
“He’ll never play for United! Well, maybe one or two games. He’ll never make it
I was somewhat taken aback by the strength of his conviction - surely United weren’t purely buying the player for his marketing potential?
After all - what could the marketing potential be if Dong never got a game?
I suggested to my Chinese friend that maybe he was too hasty in dismissing Dong. Maybe the lad was the real thing and would prove us all wrong and really break the mould for Chinese players abroad.
He laughed derisively, sparked up another lung-burner and ambled off to the squat toilet with his tea jar.
Four years on I’m sorry to concede that he was very much right and I - it’s a habit of mine - was very much wrong.
In his 4 and a half years as a United-registered player, Dong has mustered the sum total of three (that’s 3) appearances for the team.
That lamentable appearance record is partially explained by the work permit problems that prevented him from being eligible to play in the UK until December 2006. Shortly after being bought Dong was farmed out to Belgian side, Royal Antwerp - the Belgian work permit laws being somehow less stringent than those that apply in the UK.
Dong’s Belgian sojourn lasted two full seasons and was generally very successful. In the 2005-2006 season he bagged 18 goals and ended up as the league’s top scorer. In the 2006-2007 he netted 11 times in 15 matches.
That’s an impressive scoring ratio. It makes one wonder why, therefore, Dong has never been given more than the most cursory consideration for the United first team.
Dong’s only goal for United came, ironically enough, on United’s last pre-season tour of South Africa, six months before his UK registration was finally approved. Sir Alex was effusive in his praise for the player at the time, stating Dong had the “speed and physicality” to make it in the first team.
High praise indeed - but the three appearances (one of them as a substitute) since he became eligible seem to imply that Dong was never seriously considered an option.
As United fly out to South Africa again to meet the Kaizer Chiefs and the Orlando Pirates, Dong flies out to Beijing having been selected for the Chinese Olympic football team.
It’s highly likely that he will line up against another United player when he turns out, China having been drawn against Brazil. Whilst that other United player - midfield magician, Anderson - can look forward to many years and many appearances for the Reds, we suspect Dong may never play for the club again.
The search for the first Chinese football icon goes on.
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One Response to “What’s Wrong With Our Dong?”
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after successfull season 2007/08..i think man utd deserve to sign a class striker..am sure we have enough money to buy a class striker …i would prefer we buy KARIM BENZEMA who can play flank and also a lone striker….am sure if buy benzema their ni point of keeping RONALDO(SLAVE)..I KNOW ITS GOING TO COST SO MUCH MONEY BUT WE NEED TO SPEND SO THAT WE WIN MORE TROPHIES