In the soon-to-be-concluded Super League 2023 season, Seaport has won the championship in advance, making the title race no longer in doubt, and also indicating the end of Taishan's title race. The early runner-up result is acceptable, but compared to last year, Taishan's performance has not improved but declined. In the 2022 season, Tarzan was able to hold on at least until the final round, but this season it fell out of the race early and was more than five points behind Harbour. If Seaport hadn't made mistakes in the game, Tarzan might not have been able to win the title within 3-5 rounds early. Therefore, Taishan need to improve their squad if they want to stay competitive.
Not only that, Taishan also lost their lineup and their number one core. Previously, the club said that they will hold a farewell ceremony for Fellaini in the last game of the league. However, to the outside world, this was just a signal to leave Taishan or the Chinese Super League. Surprisingly, however, in less than 24 hours, things were reversed. at the press conference between Taishan and Henan on November 3 at 3:00 p.m., Choi Kang-hee acknowledged Fellaini's farewell match and thanked him for his hard work for the team.
However, Choi Kang-hee also expressed his regret as this farewell match was not only the point of Fellaini's departure from the CSL, but also the decision to retire. Choi Kang-hee revealed that he respected Fellaini's concept of retirement and he became the first foreigner to retire from the CSL in 2023. It's a shame to see such a very good player leave the pitch.The 34-year-old Fellaini made his debut with Belgian giants Standard Day before heading to the Premier League to play for Everton and Manchester United. The latter was also the platform for Fellaini's rapid growth, winning the FA Cup, League Cup and Champions League with United.
At the national team level, Fellaini has not only played for Belgium at all levels of the ladder, but also completed his debut with the Belgian national team in 2007. So far, he has played 87 games and contributed 18 goals. The best result was winning third place in the 2018 FIFA World Cup for the Belgian national team.
Fellaini joined Tarzan to concentrate on training and playing. He spent five seasons at Taishan and won a total of four titles. These titles were the 2021 Chinese Super League title and three consecutive FA Cup titles from 2020 to 2022. Fellaini became one of the most outstanding foreigners in Taishan's history and was loved by the fans.
