On September 4, 2023, Ding Haifeng reflected on a past soccer career full of ups and downs in an interview with the New Express. He revealed that during the three years when the match system was in place, his salary income was minimal.
As the 2017 season came to an end, Huaxia launched a new round of "expansion" program, targeting Argentinean player Mascherano and R&F left back Jiang Zhipeng. Although Jiang Zhipeng could not stay in the team, the R&F club, coaching staff and fans all thought that Ding Haifeng was the ideal candidate for this position. As a result, Ding Haifeng's transfer was closely linked to Jiang Zhipeng's deal.
However, Ding Haifeng appeared quite passive in the deal. He said, "Since joining Huaxia in 2016, I have never thought of leaving, and I genuinely do not want to leave. However, things are unpredictable and this is not my original intention. There are a lot of twists and turns in this ......"
Unfortunately, during his two years at R&F, Ding Haifeng did not perform up to expectations and R&F's record plummeted as a result. Although he was one of the five best players in R&F in terms of statistics, he was the most criticized by the fans. In the face of the stark contrast between the statistics and the attitude of the fans, Ding Haifeng said bluntly: "When you perform well, naturally you won't be the target of criticism. If you perform poorly, no one can take the blame for you, it's your own problem."
In 2018, Huaxia exercised Ding Haifeng's two-year buyback right, which was activated by selling Jiang Zhipeng to SZFC in 2020, bringing him back to Hebei. That's when Ding Haifeng realized that his career seemed to be going through transfers every two years: two years at Shenzhen Football, two years at Liao Football, two years at Hebei Huaxia, and two years at Guangzhou R&F ......
Most clubs in the Chinese Super League have had wage arrears since the fall of 2021, with Shanghai Seaport becoming one of the few clubs not in arrears. Among them, Hebei has the most serious arrears, with domestic players barely receiving their wages since 2021. "Club staff, coaches and foreign aiders are all paid, only our domestic players have no income." Ding Haifeng confessed that this is the first time he has encountered salary arrears. "After playing for three years, the salary is very little."
After the Hebei team was disbanded, Ding Haifeng once considered retiring. He said, "I really considered not playing soccer anymore. It was my family's discouragement that put me off the idea of retiring. "My mom asked me what my original intention was in playing soccer, and I couldn't forget my original intention."
With the support of his family, Ding Haifeng chose to continue his soccer career. Before the transfer window closed, he signed with Chinese A team Shijiazhuang Kung Fu. This is a team that is expected to stand out in this year's Chinese Super League. In the China A League, Ding Haifeng had an easy time of it, topping the assist charts with 6 assists.
Despite the fact that the Chinese Super League is not as attractive as it used to be, Ding Haifeng still hopes to help the team through his efforts. He said, "It's true that I had some bad times with the Shijiazhuang fans in the past, but I'm very grateful for their understanding. I will definitely repay the fans with better performance and help the team return to the Chinese Super League."
