China against China. The almanac states its case, the crowd votes, you decide.
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.
China · 1998–2011 · CB
Between 1998 and 2011 he answered China's call 112 times, more than anyone else in the country's history, and started at centre-back against Costa Rica and Turkey at the 2002 World Cup. Shenzhen's 2004 title, the first Chinese Super League championship ever awarded, is his, along with the 2009 Korean FA Cup at Suwon Samsung Bluewings, a runners-up medal at the 2004 Asian Cup and four Chinese Team of the Year selections. Career record: 112 caps and 14 goals for China; club career at Shenzhen, Shanghai Shenhua, Tianjin Jinmen Tiger.
The almanac puts Li Tie ahead by 1 rating point, 81 against 80.
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