Zhang Enhua
Encyclopedia
Zhang Enhua is a retired Chinese
football player. He is predominantly notable for his time at Dalian Wanda, where he won several league titles as well as being a participant at the 2002 FIFA World Cup
. He also represented Grimsby Town
, Tianjin Teda and South China during his professional career that lasted from 1994 until 2006.
football team Dalian Wanda at the beginning of the 1994 league season. At the club, he would gradually establish himself in defence and help it win the league title. With Dalian Shide he would establish himself as an integral member of their defence the following season, however they were unable to retain the league title and came third within the league. Nevertheless the following season would see Zhang Enhua help Dalian Shide stamp their dominance within the league and for the next three seasons they would win consecutive league titles.
and was then brought to the club on a 3 month loan deal to play in the Football League Championship
. The defender would be part of a new wave of foreign imports at the club as newly installed manager Lennie Lawrence
brought in David Nielsen, Knut Anders Fostervold
and Menno Willems
. Enhua was originally sent in as cover for the injured Peter Handyside
,and after a nervous first game, he settled into life at Grimsby, even scoring three times for the club. Lawrence admitted talking to the club over a possible deal being made more permanent but his wages were too big for the club, and Enhua departed the club after his loan spell. He is still regarded as a minor cult hero amongst Grimsby supporters, who took very well to the player while he played in England
. His goal celebration in the 1-0 victory over Burnley
were used by ITV
Yorkshire Television
in the opening credits for their "Goals On Sunday" television programme throughout the 2001/2002 season.
squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup
. Following his departure from Dalian in 2003, Zhang went on to play for Tianjin Teda F.C. for several seasons before joining Hong Kong football team South China in 2005 to extend his football career.
in a 0-0 draw on February 19, 1995 in the Dynasty Cup
. After several further friendlies his performances would be impressive enough to see him included in the 1996 AFC Asian Cup
squad, however while he would score his debut goal for his country against Saudi Arabia
in the quarter-finals he would unfortunately see his team lose 4-3 and get knocked out of the competition. A firm member of the national team he would play a large part in the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)
campaign that saw China narrowly miss out of a world cup spot. He was, however, able to help China qualify for the 2000 AFC Asian Cup
and while he started the early stages he would miss the knock out stages of the competition and only play in the Third place play-off game which China lost 1-0.
. On 2 March 2011 it was announced that Enhua would be returning to England
to complete his coaching badges with the Football Association, and that he would return to former club Grimsby Town
as a special guest for the clubs home fixture with AFC Wimbledon
on 5 March.
Upon his return to Grimsby he presented the club with a gift that included Chinese writing which translated into 'it might be a long road back, but you can do it and will achieve success eventually'. He also described his visit to the club as a homecoming.
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
football player. He is predominantly notable for his time at Dalian Wanda, where he won several league titles as well as being a participant at 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...
. He also represented Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
, Tianjin Teda and South China during his professional career that lasted from 1994 until 2006.
Dalian Wanda
Zhang Enhua began his professional football career when he joined his local native ChineseChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
football team Dalian Wanda at the beginning of the 1994 league season. At the club, he would gradually establish himself in defence and help it win the league title. With Dalian Shide he would establish himself as an integral member of their defence the following season, however they were unable to retain the league title and came third within the league. Nevertheless the following season would see Zhang Enhua help Dalian Shide stamp their dominance within the league and for the next three seasons they would win consecutive league titles.
Grimsby Town
In 2000, Zhang was made a transfer target of second tier English club Grimsby TownGrimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
and was then brought to the club on a 3 month loan deal to play in the Football League 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...
. The defender would be part of a new wave of foreign imports at the club as newly installed manager Lennie Lawrence
Lennie Lawrence
Robin Michael Lawrence, commonly known as Lennie Lawrence, is a British football manager who is assistant manager of Crystal Palace. He has managed a number of English clubs and one Welsh club in a coaching career spanning over 30 years...
brought in David Nielsen, Knut Anders Fostervold
Knut Anders Fostervold
Knut Anders Fostervold is a former Norwegian footballer who now competes as a cyclist. As a footballer he played as a midfielder and defender from 1991 until 2002, notably played for Molde FK and Grimsby Town....
and Menno Willems
Menno Willems
Menno Willems is a former Dutch professional footballer who played as a midfielder and a defender between 1996 and 2006 notably for Vitesse Arnhem, Ajax and Grimsby Town...
. Enhua was originally sent in as cover for the injured Peter Handyside
Peter Handyside
Peter David Handyside is a former Scottish professional footballer who played his entire professional career in England between 1992 and 2007...
,and after a nervous first game, he settled into life at Grimsby, even scoring three times for the club. Lawrence admitted talking to the club over a possible deal being made more permanent but his wages were too big for the club, and Enhua departed the club after his loan spell. He is still regarded as a minor cult hero amongst Grimsby supporters, who took very well to the player while he played in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. His goal celebration in the 1-0 victory over Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
were used by ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television, now officially known as ITV Yorkshire and sometimes unofficially abbreviated to YTV, is a British television broadcaster and the contractor for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV network...
in the opening credits for their "Goals On Sunday" television programme throughout the 2001/2002 season.
Return to China
Zhang returned to China to play for Dalian Wanda (who had renamed themselves Dalian Shide) once more in time to go to help win another league title and would also be named in the ChineseChina 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...
squad for 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...
. Following his departure from Dalian in 2003, Zhang went on to play for Tianjin Teda F.C. for several seasons before joining Hong Kong football team South China in 2005 to extend his football career.
International career
Zhang Enhua would make his international debut against South KoreaKorea Republic national football team
The Korea Republic national football team represents Korea Republic in international football and is controlled by the Korea Football Association. Korea Republic is the most successful Asian football team in the history of the FIFA World Cup having participated in eight World Cup tournaments,...
in a 0-0 draw on February 19, 1995 in the Dynasty Cup
Dynasty Cup
Dynasty Cup was an East Asian international association football tournament. The tournament was held every 2 or 3 years. It was hosted by Beijing in 1990 and 1992, Hong Kong in 1995, Yokohama and Tokyo in 1998...
. After several further friendlies his performances would be impressive enough to see him included in the 1996 AFC Asian Cup
1996 AFC Asian Cup
The Asian Football Confederation's 1996 AFC Asian Cup finals were held in the United Arab Emirates between December 4 and December 21. Saudi Arabia defeated host nation U.A.E. in the final match in Abu Dhabi.-Qualification:...
squad, however while he would score his debut goal for his country against Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia national football team
Saudi Arabia national football team is the national team of Saudi Arabia and is controlled by the Saudi Arabia Football Federation...
in the quarter-finals he would unfortunately see his team lose 4-3 and get knocked out of the competition. A firm member of the national team he would play a large part in the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)
1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)
Listed below are the dates and results for the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the Asian zone . For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification....
campaign that saw China narrowly miss out of a world cup spot. He was, however, able to help China qualify for the 2000 AFC Asian Cup
2000 AFC Asian Cup
The Asian Football Confederation's 2000 AFC Asian Cup finals were held in Lebanon between October 12 and October 29. Japan defeated defending champion Saudi Arabia in the final match in Beirut.-Qualification:...
and while he started the early stages he would miss the knock out stages of the competition and only play in the Third place play-off game which China lost 1-0.
Coaching career
Enhua retired in 2006 and took up coaching in Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. On 2 March 2011 it was announced that Enhua would be returning to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to complete his coaching badges with the Football Association, and that he would return to former club Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
as a special guest for the clubs home fixture with AFC Wimbledon
AFC Wimbledon
AFC Wimbledon is a professional English football club that traces its origins to Wimbledon in the London Borough of Merton. Based at Kingsmeadow, Kingston upon Thames, the club are members of Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football....
on 5 March.
Upon his return to Grimsby he presented the club with a gift that included Chinese writing which translated into 'it might be a long road back, but you can do it and will achieve success eventually'. He also described his visit to the club as a homecoming.
Honours
Dalian Wanda- Chinese Jia-A LeagueChinese Jia-A LeagueThe National Football Jia A League , commonly known as Jia-A , was the highest tier of professional football in the People's Republic of China, during 1994 through 2003, operating under the auspices of the Chinese Football Association.The Chinese Professional Football League was established in 1994...
: 1994Chinese Jia-A League 1994-Overview:It was performed in 12 teams, and Dalian Wanda won the championship.-Managerial changes:-League standings:-Top scorers:-References:** at Zuqiuziliao.cn...
, 1996Chinese Jia-A League 1996-Overview:It was performed in 12 teams, and Dalian Wanda won the championship.-League standings:-References:*...
, 1997Chinese Jia-A League 1997-Overview:It was performed in 12 teams, and Dalian Wanda won the championship.-League standings:-References:*...
, 1998Chinese Jia-A League 1998-Overview:It was performed in 14 teams, and Dalian Wanda won the championship.-League standings:-References:*...
, 2000Chinese Jia-A League 2000-Overview:It was performed in 14 teams, and Dalian Shide won the championship.-League standings:-References:*...
, 2001Chinese Jia-A League 2001-Overview:It was performed in 14 teams, and Dalian Shide won the championship.-League standings:-References:*...
, 2002Chinese Jia-A League 2002-Overview:It was performed in 15 teams, and Dalian Shide won the championship.-League standings:-References:*... - Chinese FA CupChinese FA CupThe Chinese FA Cup is the national knockout cup competition in China organised by the Chinese Football Association. Its current format started in the 1995 season.In the new season, 2011 it was announced, that current Chinese FA Cup will start in May....
: 2001 - Chinese Super Cup: 1997, 2003