Zibo Cuju owner He Shihua plays again … but no sign of ‘126kg son’

He Shihua subs on in injury-time again as China League One side draw 1-1 against Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard on Monday

Viral version of story continues to run, with BBC Radio 5 Live’s Chris Sutton sharing it with listeners

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A screenshot shows Zibo Cuju owner He Shihua (No 10) come on as a substitute for his club in their China League One game against Xinjiang Tianshan Leopards on May 24, 2021. Photo: Twitter/Titan Sports

Published: 12:25pm, 25 May 2021Updated: 12:24pm, 25 May 2021

Zibo Cuju owner He Shihua made his second substitute appearance of the China League One season, coming on in second half injury-time against Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard on Monday.

He had made headlines in recent weeks, first for coming on as a sub against Manchester City’s Chinese sister side Sichuan Jiuniu on May 4 and then for a viral story that claimed he forced the Zibo coach to also play his 126kg son.

The Zibo shareholder’s son was conspicuous by his absence in Monday’s game – largely on account of not actually existing. The footballer in the viral video was Xu Guangnan, then owner of China League Two club Jilin Baijia, playing for them in 2019.

Zibo, who were down to 10 men after Li Chenguang was sent off at the end of the first half, held on to get a point in a 1-1 draw. The 35-year-old He, whose company took Zibo over ahead of the new season, now has two appearances this campaign.

They remain bottom of the Chinese second tier’s group A, with two points from seven games. Owner He has played in both of their draws.

Despite the truth of He and Xu playing for different clubs and in different circumstances, the viral version of their story continues to be shared.