I read an interesting article in Tuesday’s Global Times about Nanhua football club, a Chinese team that toured Australia in 1923. Apart from the Australian angle, it is interesting because it introduces a Chinese football legend that I had never heard of, a Hong Kong native called Li Huitang. The article says that in 1976, a German football magazine rated Li as being one of the world’s five best football players. Li was influential in retirement as well, becoming Deputy Chairman of FIFA in 1966.
So, how come I haven’t heard of this guy? He seems like the perfect example of Chinese soccer prowess and we all know that Chinese soccer desperately needs to be reminded about what is possible. Is it because Li ended up in Taiwan and was the coach of its national team, or is it because Chinese sports journalism isn’t interested in ancient history? Anyway, here are the details about Nanhua’s trip to Australia:
In August 1923, Asian powerhouse Nanhua football club welcomed a major event when it was invited to Australia to play local clubs. Before the matches began, a Melbourne newspaper published information about the Sino-Australian football matches and also attached an insulting cartoon that sent up the Chinese side. In the cartoon, the Chinese team members had queues and wore strange uniforms. Their haggard and bony appearance was an incarnation of the ‘Sick Man of Asia’. This cartoon made all of Nanhua’s players furious and they vowed to win their matches and protect the honour of Chinese people.
Nanhua first played New South Wales, the best team in Australia. Nanhua did not back away from a strong opponent and 18-year-old main forward Li Huitang scored twice in the opening five minutes. Li later completed a hat trick and the match finished as a 3-3 draw. While Nanhua’s performance rocked Australia, the nation was especially impressed by Li Huitang’s foot skills. The Australia authorities awarded Li with a specially-made gold medal and the Hong Kong media labelled him the king of football. Nanhua won eight matches in Australia, lost nine and drew seven.
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