China against China. The almanac states its case, the crowd votes, you decide.
China · 1979–87 · CAM
They called him the Weatherfish, for the way he wriggled out of corners where there was no room left, and in 1987 he carried that to Darmstadt 98 and 107 league games across five seasons in the 2. Bundesliga. Runner-up at the 1984 Asian Cup and third in 1980, AFC All-Star in 1985, a Chinese league title with Guangdong in 1979, and 50 caps with 12 goals. Career record: 7 caps for China; club career at Guangdong Hongyuan, TuS Koblenz, SV Darmstadt 98.
China · 2002–24 · CDM
He started all three group games at the 2002 World Cup, still China's only appearance at the tournament, and spent that same season at Everton, where David Moyes used him 29 times in the Premier League. Ninety-two caps, that World Cup, a China League One title with Liaoning Whowin in 2009 and a seventh-place Everton finish make up the playing record; a 2024 conviction for bribery and match-fixing brought a 20-year sentence and a lifetime ban. Career record: 92 caps and 6 goals for China; club career at Liaoning, Everton, Chengdu Tiancheng.
The almanac puts Gu Guangming ahead by 1 rating point, 82 against 81.
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