Rong Zhixing vs Zheng Zhi
China against China. The almanac states its case, the crowd votes, you decide.
Rong Zhixing
China · 1976–2013 · CAM
- Almanac rating
- 81
- Rank in China
- #8 of 33
In 1979 a journalist named Qiu Zhenqi gave Chinese football a phrase of its own, the Zhixing style, coined for a man who went a whole career without a yellow or red card and never argued a referee's decision. Third at the 1976 Asian Cup, bronze at the 1978 Asian Games, a national league title with Guangdong in 1979, three straight years among China's top ten athletes, and the AFC's Golden Star Award in 2013.
Zheng Zhi
China · 2004–13 · CB
- Almanac rating
- 84
- Rank in China
- #2 of 33
- Caps
- 76 · 15 goals
- Clubs
- Shenzhen, Shandong Taishan, Guangzhou
Tianhe Stadium, 9 November 2013: 1-1 with FC Seoul, 3-3 on aggregate, away goals, and Zheng Zhi lifting the first AFC Champions League a Chinese club had ever won. Asian Footballer of the Year that same season, ten league titles across three clubs, 108 caps for China, a place in the 2004 Asian Cup Team of the Tournament, and two seasons at Charlton in between. Career record: 76 caps and 15 goals for China; club career at Shenzhen, Shandong Taishan, Guangzhou.
The verdict
The almanac puts Zheng Zhi ahead by 3 rating points, 84 against 81.
Fans have not settled this one yet. Cast the first vote in the duels.