Zheng Zhi facts for kids
Zheng with China at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 20 August 1980 | ||
| Place of birth | Shenyang, Liaoning, China | ||
| Height | 1.80 m | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1990–2000 | Liaoning FC | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1998–2000 | Liaoning FC | 4 | (0) |
| 2001–2004 | Shenzhen Jianlibao | 82 | (13) |
| 2005–2007 | Shandong Luneng Taishan | 45 | (31) |
| 2007 | → Charlton Athletic (loan) | 12 | (1) |
| 2007–2009 | Charlton Athletic | 55 | (8) |
| 2009–2010 | Celtic | 16 | (1) |
| 2010–2022 | Guangzhou FC | 215 | (15) |
| Total | 429 | (69) | |
| National team | |||
| 2008 | China U23 | 2 | (0) |
| 2002–2019 | China | 108 | (15) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2019 | Guangzhou FC (Caretaker) | ||
| 2021 | Guangzhou FC (Caretaker) | ||
| 2022–2023 | Guangzhou FC | ||
| 2023– | China (assistant coach) | ||
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| Zheng Zhi | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | 郑智 | ||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 鄭智 | ||||||||
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Zheng Zhi (born August 20, 1980) is a famous Chinese football player and manager. He used to be a professional player and is now an assistant coach for the Chinese national team.
Zheng Zhi spent most of his playing career with the Chinese Super League club Guangzhou. He became their captain and even managed the team for a short time. He started as a defender but later became a midfielder. This change helped him become very successful.
He won the league title with Shenzhen Jianlibao in 2004. Later, he moved to Shandong Luneng Taishan and scored many goals. He also became the captain of the Chinese national team. His talent led him to play for teams in England and Scotland, like Charlton Athletic and Celtic.
In 2010, Zheng Zhi returned to China and joined Guangzhou Evergrande. He played over 300 games as captain. He helped the club win many important trophies. This included the Chinese Super League a record eight times and the AFC Champions League twice.
Contents
Club Career
Early Days in Football
Zheng Zhi began his football journey in 1990. He played for different youth teams in Liaoning, China. In 1998, he started playing for Liaoning Liaoqing as a defender.
In 2001, he joined Shenzhen Jianlibao, a top-tier club. His old coach from the Chinese under-23 team, Zhu Guanghu, was the manager there. Zheng Zhi started as a defender. But his coach moved him to a playmaker role in the midfield. This change was a big success. He helped Shenzhen win their first-ever top-tier title in 2004. In 2005, Zheng Zhi moved to Shandong Luneng Taishan.
Playing in England
On December 29, 2006, Zheng Zhi moved to England. He joined Premier League team Charlton Athletic on a loan. He had tried out with the club a month before.
He played his first game for Charlton on February 10, 2007. He scored his first goal on March 18, 2007, in a win against Newcastle United. After his loan ended, he returned to China briefly. But in August 2007, he joined Charlton permanently. He signed a two-year contract. He scored seven goals in the 2007–08 season.
In 2008, there were talks about him moving to West Bromwich Albion. But the transfer did not happen. In July 2009, Zheng Zhi left Charlton. He could not agree on a new contract after the club was moved to a lower league.
Playing in Scotland
On September 1, 2009, Zheng Zhi moved to Scotland. He joined Scottish Premier League team Celtic. He signed a two-year contract. He was the second Chinese player to join Celtic.
His manager, Tony Mowbray, was very happy to have him. Zheng Zhi played his first game for Celtic on October 4, 2009. He scored his first goal for the club on May 8, 2010. He left Celtic at the end of the 2009–10 season. They could not agree on a new contract.
Back in China: Guangzhou FC
On June 28, 2010, Zheng Zhi returned to China. He joined China League One team Guangzhou Evergrande. He played his first game on July 17, 2010. He scored his first goal on July 21, 2010, in a big 10–0 win. In 2010, Guangzhou finished first and moved up to the top league.
After moving up, Zheng Zhi became the captain of the club. He scored five goals in 25 games in 2011. Guangzhou won the top-tier title for the first time. This was Zheng Zhi's third league title with three different clubs. In 2012, the club won both the league and the Chinese FA Cup. In 2013, they won their third league title in a row.
In November 2013, Zheng Zhi led Guangzhou to victory in the 2013 AFC Champions League Final. They became the first Chinese club to win the AFC Champions League. Zheng Zhi played the whole game and lifted the trophy as captain. On November 26, 2013, he was named the Asian Footballer of the Year. He was the second Chinese player to win this award.
In 2019 and 2021, Zheng Zhi briefly took over as caretaker manager for the club. In December 2020, he was also made the general manager.
International Career
Zheng Zhi joined the Chinese under-23 national team. He was the only player called up from the third tier league. He played his first game for the Chinese national team on December 7, 2002. It was a 3–1 win against Syria.
He scored his first international goal on January 29, 2004. After Zhu Guanghu became manager in 2005, Zheng Zhi became the main midfielder for the national team. He was captain of the under-23 team at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Later, under manager Gao Hongbo, Zheng Zhi became the captain of the senior national team.
On June 2, 2018, Zheng Zhi played his 100th game for China. This made him only the fourth Chinese player to reach 100 international games. On June 16, 2023, the Chinese Football Association held a special ceremony for Zheng Zhi. This was before a game against Myanmar. He played a total of 108 games for China and scored 15 goals.
Honours
Shenzhen Jianlibao
- Chinese Super League: 2004
Shandong Luneng Taishan
- Chinese Super League: 2006
- Chinese FA Cup: 2006
Guangzhou
- Chinese Super League: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019
- China League One: 2010
- AFC Champions League: 2013, 2015
- Chinese FA Cup: 2012, 2016
- Chinese FA Super Cup: 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018
Individual Awards
- AFC Asian Cup All-Star Team: 2004
- Asian Footballer of the Year: 2013
- AFC Champions League Dream Team: 2013, 2015
- Chinese Football Association Player of the Year: 2002, 2006
- Chinese Super League Team of the Year: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
Images for kids
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Zheng with China at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup
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Zheng playing for Guangzhou Evergrande in 2010
See also
In Spanish: Zheng Zhi para niños
- List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
