Zheng Zhi is first Chinese to win AFC Player of the Year award in decade
Captain of Guangzhou Evergrande and China national side caps stellar season as Super League club dominates awards
Zheng Zhi's stellar year continued n Tuesday night as the Guangzhou Evergrande and China captain was named Player of the Year for 2013 by the Asian Football Confederation in an evening dominated by the 33-year-old's Chinese Super League club.
The skipper, who was instrumental in Guangzhou's success in the AFC Champions League this season, became the first Chinese player to win the award in more than a decade. He beat Iranian World Cup star Javad Nekounam and Ha Dae-sung from South Korea for the crown.
Fan Zhiyi was the last player from China to be named the AFC Player of the Year, scooping the title in 2001 after helping the national team qualify for their debut - and so far only - appearance at the Fifa World Cup finals.
This season has been perfect and we could not have wished for a better result
Zheng made a flying visit to attend the awards, arriving in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday morning and returning immediately to Guangzhou to ensure his availability for the second leg of the club's Chinese FA Cup semi-final meeting with Beijing Guoan as the Asian champions aim to complete a continental and domestic treble.
AFC honours Zheng Zhi as the AFC Player of the Year
"I'm so excited after winning this award," said Zheng, who previously played for Charlton Athletic and Celtic. "I came here last year when I was nominated, but didn't win, so I'm very grateful for everything I've achieved. It's a pretty special feeling to win this award, especially at my age. It's great recognition for my efforts.