Li Tie
Encyclopedia
Li Tie is a professional Chinese
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

 international footballer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

 who currently plays for Liaoning Whowin F.C.
Liaoning Whowin F.C.
Liaoning Whowin F.C. is a professional association football club of the Chinese Super League who plays at the 24,000-seat Shenyang Tiexi Stadium in China's sports capital Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China...

 in the Chinese Super League
Chinese Super League
The Chinese Football Association Super League , commonly known as Chinese Super League or CSL, currently known as the Pirelli Chinese Football Association Super League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest tier of professional association football in China, operating under the auspices of the...

. Starting his career playing for Liaoning F.C. Li would rise to prominence during the 1999 Chinese league season
Chinese Jia-A League 1999
-League standings:-References:*...

 when Liaoning came runners-up within the league. This would soon see him become an integral member of the Chinese national football team
China national football team
The China PR national football team is the national association football team of the People's Republic of China and is governed by the Chinese Football Association...

 where he was part of the squad that went to the 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...

 and a move to English Premier League club Everton F.C.
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...

 would soon follow. After a impressive debut season Li's career at the club would be blighted by a string of injurys before he moved to Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...

 and then a return to China with Chengdu Blades
Chengdu Blades
Chengdu Blades F.C. is a professional football club based in Chengdu, PR China who currently plays in the 42,000 seater Chengdu Sports Centre in the Chinese Super league...

 and then a return back to his first club Liaoning.

Early career

Midfielder Li began his football career at the age of 15, joining Liaoning
Liaoning
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the northeast of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "辽" , a name taken from the Liao River that flows through the province. "Níng" means "peace"...

 Youth System in 1992. The following year he was sent to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

 for a five-year training programme sponsored by Jianlibao and became the captain of the China Jianlibao Youth Football Team.

The cream of his generation of Chinese football players, Li went to the Premier League in a deal brokered between sponsors Kejian and his new club, Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...

.

Despite initial scepticism on Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...

, his first season at Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...

 was a surprising success. Manager David Moyes
David Moyes
David William Moyes is an association football manager and former player, currently managing English Premier League club Everton. He was the 2003, 2005 and 2009 League Managers Association Manager of the Year...

 played him in 31 league games, mostly in the starting line-up, where his displays as a defensive midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...

 helped the club clinch a 7th place finish.

Everton battled with his former club Liaoning to sign him on a permanent basis after the 2002–03 season and the deal was finally closed in August 2003 for an undisclosed fee with Li signing a three-year deal. It is thought that Everton paid between £0.5m to £1.5m for the midfielder, although the price was hugely offset by outside sponsorship.

Everton

Unfortunately, Li's 2003–04 season was marred by a sending-off against Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...

 in August 2003 and a series of injuries. The last injury, a broken leg picked up during international duty in February 2004, ruled him out for another 12 months. In January 2005, when he returned to action for the Everton reserve side against Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....

, he lasted just 41 minutes, requiring his leg to be re-set.

In the summer of 2005, 18 months since his last game for the Everton first team, Li Tie featured for 90 minutes against FC Gamlitz of Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

 in a pre-season friendly. He also played in friendlies against Motherwell
Motherwell F.C.
Motherwell Football & Athletic Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. The club compete in the Scottish Premier League and are one of only seven teams to have remained in this league since it was founded in 1998...

, the Thai national team
Thailand national football team
The Thailand national football team represents Thailand in international football competition and is governed by the Football Association of Thailand. The team has a history of success in Southeast Asian competition, with three ASEAN Football Championship titles and nine senior-level Southeast...

, Fenerbahçe and Udinese
Udinese Calcio
Udinese Calcio is an Italian football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and currently plays in the Serie A. Founded in 1896, Udinese is the second oldest club in the Serie A, after Genoa....

 and looked like he was finally coming back to full fitness.

However, he never managed to break back into the first team despite playing regularly for the reserves and even earning another international call up for China. In March 2006, Li Tie underwent another operation to remove pieces of bone that had grown on his ankle during his time on the sidelines.

In May 2006, Li Tie was released by Everton and was linked with Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...

, who denied reports that a deal had been agreed to bring the player to Bramall Lane
Bramall Lane
-Cricket at the Lane:Bramall Lane opened as a cricket ground in 1855, having been leased by Michael Ellison from the Duke of Norfolk at an annual rent of £70. The site was then away from the town's industrial area, and relatively free from smoke. It was built to host the matches of local cricket...

.

Sheffield United

In July 2006, Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...

 announced the signing of Li Tie on a free transfer on a two year contract although he spent some time training with Chengdu Blades, a Chinese Football Association Jia League
Chinese Football Association Jia League
The China League One is the second tier professional league for Chinese football clubs. The league is under the auspices of the Chinese Football Association. Above the League One is Chinese Super League....

 club owned by Sheffield United, while waiting for his visa clearance. He made his first-team debut in a pre-season friendly against local neighbours Rotherham United
Rotherham United F.C.
Rotherham United Football Club are an English professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who compete in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club's colours have traditionally been red and white, although these have evolved through history...

 on 28 July.

Li Tie made his first competitive club start since January 2004 in a League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...

 victory against Bury
Bury F.C.
Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...

 on 19 September 2006 but has still to make a league appearance.

On 12 October 2007, Li Tie was told he could leave Sheffield United on a free transfer. Blades' manager Bryan Robson
Bryan Robson
Bryan Robson OBE is an English football manager and a former player. He is best known for playing in midfield for Manchester United, where he was the longest serving captain in club history. He was the manager of Sheffield United, being relieved of his first team duties at the club in February 2008...

 said: "He's not in my plans and he is free to go wherever he wants on a free transfer.". Only two days later though, Sheffield United made a u-turn on the decision, stating that he would stay at the club until the end of the season before having his future evaluated.

Return to China

Despite reassurances to the contrary, Li Tie did indeed move in 2008 transferring to Sheffield United's Chinese sister club Chengdu Blades
Chengdu Blades
Chengdu Blades F.C. is a professional football club based in Chengdu, PR China who currently plays in the 42,000 seater Chengdu Sports Centre in the Chinese Super league...

 to reinforce the team after their promotion to the Chinese Super League and appeared in the opening game of the 2008 season against his former club Liaoning F.C. On 25 October 2008,he scored his first league goal in a 3-1 win to Shenzhen Shangqingyin

After spending one season with Chengdu Blades Li Tie returned to his hometown and original club to help them in their promotion push back to the top tier. It was to prove to be an immediate success when he guided them to win the second tier division and promotion back to the top flight after only one season.

International career

In 1997, Li Tie was one of four players called up from the Jianlibao Youth Team for the final round of 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
-Qualified teams:The following 32 teams qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup: - qualified automatically as hosts - qualified automatically as defending champions-Notes:...

 by Qi Wusheng, the coach of the Chinese national team
China national football team
The China PR national football team is the national association football team of the People's Republic of China and is governed by the Chinese Football Association...

 along with Li Jinyu
Li Jinyu
Li Jinyu is a former Chinese international association football player who predominantly played for Liaoning FC and Shandong Luneng as a striker in the Chinese Super League...

, Sui Dongliang
Sui Dongliang
Sui Dongliang is a former Chinese professional footballer. He played for Bayi Football Team and Beijing Guoan during his career.-Bayi Football Team:...

 and Zhang Xiaorui
Zhang Xiaorui
Zhang Xiaorui is a Chinese professional footballer and manager. He is currently working for Tianjin Tuanbo New City.-Early career:As with all the most promising young Chinese players Zhang Xiaorui would quickly be included in the short-lived Chinese national youth team program to study football...

.

Li was already a veteran of the national squad when China
China national football team
The China PR national football team is the national association football team of the People's Republic of China and is governed by the Chinese Football Association...

 embarked on their World Cup debut in 2002.

Despite recovering from an injury, Li Tie returned to competitive football in June 2006 with substitute appearances for the Chinese national team against Switzerland
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...

 and France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...

.

Li Tie was called up by China for a friendly against Thailand on 10 August and the 2007 Asian Cup qualifier against Singapore
Singapore national football team
The Singapore national football team is the national association football team of Singapore. The team comes under the organization of the Football Association of Singapore...

 on 16 August 2006.

He also was called up by Zhu Guanghu for China squad to play the Asian Nations Cup 2007
2007 AFC Asian Cup
The Asian Football Confederation's 2007 AFC Asian Cup finals were held from July 7 to July 29, 2007. For the first time in its history, the competition was co-hosted by four nations: Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. The tournament was won by first-time champions Iraq, who defeated Saudi...

 but had no appearance this time.

International goals

China goals listed first
# Date Venue Opponent Result Competition Scored
1 29 January 1997 Workers Stadium
Workers Stadium
The Workers Stadium , often called Gongti or Gong Ti, is a multi-purpose stadium in the Chaoyang District of north-eastern Beijing, China. It is mostly used for football matches...

, Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

 
2-1 Friendly match  1
2 20 April 1997 Workers Stadium
Workers Stadium
The Workers Stadium , often called Gongti or Gong Ti, is a multi-purpose stadium in the Chaoyang District of north-eastern Beijing, China. It is mostly used for football matches...

, Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

 
5–0 Friendly match  1
3 14 January 2000 Workers Stadium
Workers Stadium
The Workers Stadium , often called Gongti or Gong Ti, is a multi-purpose stadium in the Chaoyang District of north-eastern Beijing, China. It is mostly used for football matches...

, Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

 
1–0 Friendly match  1
4 23 January 2000 Thong Nhat Stadium
Thong Nhat Stadium
Thong Nhat Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It is located at 138 Đào Duy Từ Street, Ward 6, District 10. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium for NaviBank Sài Gòn of the V-League, Sài Gòn Xuân Thành and Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh of the...

, Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City , formerly named Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam...

 
8–0 2000 AFC Asian Cup qualification
2000 AFC Asian Cup qualification
- Group 1 :All matches were held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.--------------------- Group 2 :Played in Damascus, Syria.--------------------Played in Tehran, Iran.--------------------- Group 3 :...

 
1
5 26 January 2000 Thong Nhat Stadium
Thong Nhat Stadium
Thong Nhat Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It is located at 138 Đào Duy Từ Street, Ward 6, District 10. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium for NaviBank Sài Gòn of the V-League, Sài Gòn Xuân Thành and Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh of the...

, Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City , formerly named Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam...

 
19–0 2000 AFC Asian Cup qualification
2000 AFC Asian Cup qualification
- Group 1 :All matches were held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.--------------------- Group 2 :Played in Damascus, Syria.--------------------Played in Tehran, Iran.--------------------- Group 3 :...

 
1
6 14 February 2001 Rajamangala Stadium
Rajamangala Stadium
Rajamangala National Stadium , also known as Hua Mark Indoor Stadium, is the national stadium of Thailand and the home stadium for the Thailand national football team. Located in Khwaeng Hua Mak, Khet Bang kapi, Bangkok, it officially opened in 1998....

, Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...

 
5–1 Friendly match  1

Career statistics

http://www.world-soccer.org/p-00327.htm
|-
|1999||rowspan="4"|Liaoning||||24||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2000||||29||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|2001||||26||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2002||||12||0||||||||||||||||

|-
|2002-03
FA Premier League 2002-03
The 2002–03 FA Premier League was the eleventh season of the Premier League, the top division in English football. The first matches were played on 17 August 2002 and the last were played on 11 May 2003...

||rowspan="4"|Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...

||rowspan="4"|Premier League||29||0||1||0||3||0||0||0||33||0
|-
|2003-04
FA Premier League 2003-04
The 2003–04 FA Premier League season was the twelfth season of the Premier League. In the end, Arsenal went through the season without a single defeat – only the second ever team to do so and were crowned champions once more, at the expense of Chelsea, who had spent heavily throughout the...

||5||0||0||0||2||0||0||0||7||0
|-
|2004-05
FA Premier League 2004-05
The 2004–05 season of the FA Premier League began on 14 August 2004 and ended on 15 May 2005. Arsenal were the defending champions after going unbeaten the previous season....

||0||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2005-06
FA Premier League 2005-06
The 2005–06 season of the FA Premier League began on 13 August 2005, and concluded on 7 May 2006. The season saw Chelsea F.C retain their title after defeating Manchester United 3–0 at Stamford Bridge towards the end of April...

||0||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2006-07
FA Premier League 2006-07
The 2006–07 FA Premier League was the fifteenth season of the FA Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The season started on 19 August 2006 and concluded on 13 May 2007....

||rowspan="2"|Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...

||Premier League||0||0||0||0||1||0||0||0||1||0
|-
|2007-08
The Football League 2007-08
The Football League is contested through three divisions in England and Wales. The divisions are the League Championship, League One and League Two. The winner and the runner up of the League Championship will be automatically promoted to the Premier League and they will be joined by the winner of...

||Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...

||0||0||||||||||||||||

|-
|2008
Chinese Super League 2008
The 2008 Chinese Super League was the 5th season since the establishment of the Chinese Super League and the 15th season of the professional football league in China. Super League was expanded to 16 clubs...

||Chengdu Blades
Chengdu Blades
Chengdu Blades F.C. is a professional football club based in Chengdu, PR China who currently plays in the 42,000 seater Chengdu Sports Centre in the Chinese Super league...

||Super League
Chinese Super League
The Chinese Football Association Super League , commonly known as Chinese Super League or CSL, currently known as the Pirelli Chinese Football Association Super League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest tier of professional association football in China, operating under the auspices of the...

||24||1||-||-||-||-||-||-||24||1
|-
|2009||rowspan="2"|Liaoning Hongyun||League One||22||1||-||-||-||-||-||-||22||1
|-
|2010||Super League
Chinese Super League
The Chinese Football Association Super League , commonly known as Chinese Super League or CSL, currently known as the Pirelli Chinese Football Association Super League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest tier of professional association football in China, operating under the auspices of the...

||10||0||-||-||-||-||-||-||10||0
137||3||||||||||||||||
34||0||||||||||||||||
171||3||||||||||||||||

External links

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