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Vivienne Chow

Soccer star and actor Wan Chi-keung - dubbed 'Asia's best centre-forward' during his heyday on the pitch 30 years ago - has died aged 53 from organ failure related to his cancer treatment.   
Wan, best known by his nickname Wan Lo, made the 'best 11' at the Hong Kong Top Footballers Awards  for three consecutive years, from 1978 to 1980, before retiring and becoming in actor, appearing in several popular movies as well as ATV dramas.
He was rushed to the Prince of Wales Hospital  about 7.30am yesterday after he fell into a coma at his home in Lok Ma Chau.  At about 8.45am, doctors said they could not revive him because of organ failure.
Wan was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal carcinoma,  or cancer in the nasopharynx, in 1992. He recovered a year later after a series of treatments. His family said the cancer did not recur. 
Wan's long-time girlfriend, award-winning actress Michelle Yim, and family members who were with him when he died said he had passed away peacefully.  
The iconic striker who ruled the Hong Kong soccer scene in the 1970s and 1980s was remarkable not only on the soccer pitch; he was also known for being kind and funny - personality traits that earned him many friends. 
Former soccer manager Peter Leung Shou-chi,  who had known Wan for nearly five decades, was saddened by the loss of a comrade. 
'He was two years younger than  I am. We have known each other for so many years, from South China Athletic Association  to Lai Sun Double Flower  [a team in the local league],' Leung said, trying to hold back his tears. 'We used to play football at Blake Pier when we were kids.'
Leung said that he last saw Wan a few months ago at the hospital. 'He was still very optimistic when I last saw him,' Leung recalled. He said Wan was admitted to the intensive care unit a few months ago and, even then, he still sent text messages to his friends. 'He was a very caring friend.' 
Wan's soccer career began in 1974 when he became a member of the Hong Kong youth team. He joined the South China Athletic Association as a full-time player shortly afterwards, and played for Seiko and Lai Sun Double Flower before retiring in 1989.
The popular footballer  represented Hong Kong in international matches for more than 10 years. In 1977, he represented Hong Kong in the World Cup qualifiers, and the team beat Singapore to become the winner of the preliminary round. In the 1985 World Cup qualifiers, Wan helped Hong Kong defeat  the mainland team in the famous '519' match on May 19, 1985, lifting Hong Kong to the top of the preliminary round again. 
Wan's outstanding performance got him named, for three years from 1978 to 19780, among the 'best 11' team at the annual soccer awards. 
'In our day, we had Wan Chi-keung who was really fast and had the ability to score goals. But now none of the Chinese players can compare with him,' Wan's former teammate Ku Kam-fai  once said. 
Chan Fat-chi,  Wan's teammate in the '519' match, praised Wan's talent, especially his power in the air. 'He was very talented and very strong. Still, he worked extra hard in order to achieve what he had achieved,' Chan said. 
Veteran soccer commentator Ho Ching-kong  said that Wan had every quality that one looked for in a football star. 'He had the speed, the ability to score, and great physique,' Ho said. 
Wan was the golden boy of the local soccer scene when he had his first taste of show business, appearing alongside Chow Yun-fat  in the crime thriller The Executioner. After retiring from soccer in 1989, he joined ATV as an actor and host, appearing in many TV drama series. 
But his TV career did not last long. In an interview with the South China Morning Post in 2005, Wan described acting life as 'too time-consuming' and 'too limiting'. He also did not enjoy the increasingly strained relationship with entertainment reporters. 'Back then we were friends with reporters. Now we're like feuding foes,' he had said.
He still appeared in movies, however, and his most memorable recent role was as a police inspector in the Infernal Affairs trilogy opposite Andy Lau Tak-wah,  who played a mole planted in the police force by triads.
'I didn't do it for the money - it was all out of curiosity,' Wan said of his movie appearances.  Wan was also known for his long-time relationship with Yim since  they met in 1983.
Wan founded sports-goods distributor Wanasports  in 1998, and  the company had a female clothing line named Michelle. Yim was at his side until the last moment. 
Fans and participating teams of today's Lunar New Year Cup  will be asked to observe a minute's silence in memory of Wan before kicking off. 
Condolence messages poured in as fans paid tribute to their soccer hero. Video clips of Wan's most classic moments on the pitch during his golden days, including the game between South China and Caroline Hill during the 1979-80 Viceroy Cup,  were widely circulated on YouTube. 
Yim's fans have also left messages of condolences on her blog. 




'Asia's best striker' a star on and off the pitch