Time flies, in the blink of an eye has passed 26 spring and autumn, those who have sweated in this team veterans, whether it is already retired in the team leader, or with the dream of young talent, have all gone their own way.
In 2017, Zhou Ting returned to Dalian with deep affection for his hometown, fighting for the first time for his native land. The veteran helped the team overcome many difficulties, but also in the 2018 season through the wind and rain, and finally had no choice but to be relegated. The following year, at the age of 40, Zhou Ting remained steadfast in the Chinese Super League, becoming the only post-70 player at the time. After his retirement, he chose to come back to the Dalian Jinshiwan soccer base in the dual role of coach and player, and later even joined the Dalian professional soccer club's U19 ladder team coaching team. Now he is back as the head coach of the U19 team of Dalian Yingbo Football Club.
Most of Zhou Ting's former classmates and friends have also devoted themselves to soccer. Here's a look at where these former comrades are today.
Sun Jihai, who made his debut in 1995 in the First Division, quickly became a mainstay of the team, and is not only the most accomplished of these players, but also the most successful player to study abroad in the history of Chinese soccer. Today, he is devoting himself to youth soccer training in an all-encompassing partnership in his hometown of Dalian Jinpu New District.
Wang Peng, teammates Wu Jun and An Qi, who have played for the first team since 1996, co-founded the youth-focused Moonbird Football Club, dedicated to bringing fresh blood to Dalian soccer. An Qi now works for Chinese First Division side Shijiazhuang, where he was acting coach last season.
Goalkeeper Chen Dong joined the Dalian Wanda first team in 1996 as Han Wenhai's right-hand substitute. He was the starting goalkeeper for Dalian Shide in 2001 and 2005, and now serves as the general manager of Dalian Yingbo Football Club.Li Guoxu, who joined the first team in 1997, has grown to become the head coach of Dalian Yingbo's first team.
Liu Hongyi, who joined Dalian Wanda's first team in 1998, was a mainstay of the team for a while and scored his first career goal in a 7-0 away win over Wuhan Yaqi. Unfortunately, after an early retirement due to injuries, he began to devote himself to soccer-related work, working for Dalian Beyond, Shaanxi Daqin Zhishui, and Hohhot, and passed the CFA Level D Coaching Instructor exam.
Wang Feng, who entered the first team in 1996, suffered a major setback in his career. 2000, he ended his soccer career early due to the 11.2 match-fixing fiasco by mistake, and in recent years, he has gradually faded from the public eye.
And Zhang Gang, who once played for Dalian Wanda's first team, is now involved in the development of school soccer.
