Tsun Dai becomes first Hong Kong footballer called up for China squad ahead of World Cup qualifiers
- Shenzen FC star included in list of 52 players selected by Li Xiaopeng for new manager’s first training camp
- China face Japan in Saitama on January 27 before taking on Vietnam in Hanoi on February 1
Dai Wai-tsun, better known as “Tsun Dai” in the UK and “Dai Weijun” in China, has become the first Hong Kong-born footballer called up to the Chinese national football squad in the modern era.
The 22-year-old Shenzhen FC midfielder has been included in a list of 52 players selected by Li Xiaopeng for the new manager’s first training camp, which starts next Tuesday in Shanghai ahead of their upcoming 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers.
China face Japan in Saitama on January 27, before taking on Vietnam in Hanoi on February 1. They are fifth in their six-team qualifying group, with four games remaining in the final round of the Asian qualifiers.
There are five naturalised players in the China training squad, with Li Xiaopeng – who played alongside former manager Li Tie in China’s only appearance at the World Cup finals, in 2002 – to work with 15 other coaching staff.
Dai, who played for Hong Kong at a number of youth tournaments, also has a British passport and spent his youth club career in England at Reading and Bury, where he turned professional in 2017 and made 8 appearances.