All About Zheng Zhi

Versatile midfielder Zheng Zhi joined English Premier League side Charlton Athletic. Zheng, the captain of the Chinese national team will succesfully hit the premiership trail after signing on loan from Shandong Luneng this past week. After Sun Jihai, Li Tie, and Li Weifeng, Zheng becomes the fourth player to mark Chinese football's history in the Premiership.

The 27 year old, who can also play in defence, is 181 cm tall and weighs 75 kg, and so with a little work should have no problems coping with the league. Zheng, the father of a little 2 year old girl, is regarded as the hero of Chinese football these days. Many experts believe that he will have no problems starting a career in England, and based on his performances in recent years, many have already accepted that he is the best Chinese footballer of the last 10 years. All the fans and players support him, and the coaches and officials trust him. One of his best friends from the national team, Zhang Yonghai told me that Zheng is the engine of the national team and is irreplacable. He scored 21 goals to lead Shandong to the title last season. In China, everybody knows and loves him, and everyone believes in him. He has been a great success here, and we hope that he will be well received in England.

Zheng was born in Shenyang, a football city, where China's World Cup qualification dreams came true. He will travel to London with his wife, leaving his daughter in the care of his parents, because he knows that there will be many challenges to face in England. More and more Chinese players have gone to European countries in recent years, and although Sun Jihai has had a good career at Manchester City, most of them have struggled. Wounded and suffering, they are struggling to re-establish themselves in football, but Zheng Zhi can buck the trend.