Dong Fangzhuo Career Review
BEIJING, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- Recently, the Sun, a well-known British media, wrote an article on the career of soccer player Dong Fangzhuo, giving an in-depth analysis of his career. The report mentioned that Dong Fangzhuo was regarded as the most promising star in the history of Chinese soccer, however, the overly high expectations have put him under great pressure and failed to play to his strength.
A report by The Sun looks back on the soccer career of former Chinese star Dong Fangzhuo - how he transformed from a future star at Old Trafford to a reality TV face-changer. The article mentions that Dong became the first East Asian player to move to Old Trafford when he joined Manchester United in 2004, and that Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager at the time, had high hopes for him and praised him as an "explosive talent".
Due to labor license restrictions, Dong Fangzhuo was loaned to Belgian side Antwerp. There, he won the title of top scorer in the Bundesliga B, becoming the first time a Chinese player has won this honor in a European league. Antwerp manager Reggie van Acker said of him, "He's a great player, tall, strong and very fast, and unstoppable when he shoots like a bomb."
Dong returned to Manchester United in the 2006-07 season, making his Premier League debut against Chelsea. However, he did not perform well and was replaced by Wayne Rooney in the 73rd minute. In the following Champions League matches, Dong Fangzhuo failed to continue his excellent performance in Antwerp, despite getting another chance to play.
Analyzing the reasons for Dong Fangzhuo's failure to make it, Paul McGuinness, coach of Manchester United's U18 youth team, said, "He wasn't very talkative and was a bit shy and bashful, probably because he struggled to communicate in English on a daily basis and then suffered a lengthy injury, which took longer to recover from even than it did on the pitch."
Dong Fangzhuo returned to Dalian Shide after his release from Manchester United. However, under pressure, he continued to sink, failing to recover in 26 matches over two seasons. He then traveled to Europe to regain his confidence, but failed to find form with Legia Warsaw, FC Portimonense and Armenian club Mika.
After returning to China, Hunan Xiangtao gave him a chance, but his behavior was considered too deviant. He was banned for six matches after giving the middle finger in response to BeiTech fans when he was substituted in a match. Eventually, Dong faded out of the professional game at the age of about 30. The Sun lamented, "Dong Fangzhuo's story trajectory is one of rapid rise to fame, big ups and downs, devastating strikes, and ultimately ending in a tiger's tail."
