Hao Haidong

Summary

Hao Haidong (simplified Chinese: 郝海东; traditional Chinese: 郝海東; pinyin: Hǎo Hǎidōng; born 9 May 1970)[3] is a Chinese former international footballer. He currently holds the record for being China's top goalscorer.

Hao Haidong
Personal information
Full name Hao Haidong
Date of birth (1970-05-09) 9 May 1970 (age 53)
Place of birth Qingdao, Shandong, China
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1]
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
1980–1986 Bayi
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1986–1996 Bayi 48 (19)
1997–2004 Dalian Shide 130 (78)
2005–2006 Sheffield United 0 (0)
Total 178 (97)
International career
1992–2004 China 106 (39[2])
Managerial career
2004 Dalian Shide (caretaker)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

As a player he represented Bayi Football Team, Dalian Shide and Sheffield United in a career that saw him win six league titles and two Chinese FA Cup. Along with a Chinese Football Association Player of the Year award and three Chinese Jia-A League Top goalscorer awards. Since retiring he had a brief spell at management with Dalian Shide and was the General manager at Hunan Shoking before being Chairman of Tianjin Songjiang, which he left in 2012.[4][5] Hao married former badminton champion Ye Zhaoying in summer 2019.[6]

Club career edit

Bayi Football Team edit

Hao Haidong would make a name for himself by rising through the ranks with Bayi Football Team.[7] On 31 July 1994, Hao was involved in an on-the-pitch brawl with Craig Allardyce, son of former English manager Sam Allardyce, in Bayi's league match with Guangdong Winnerway. This resulted in Hao and Allardyce receiving a half-year ban by the Chinese Football Association and thus Hao was not allowed to play for the Chinese national team in the 1994 Asian Games.[8] While his personal performances with Bayi remained impressive, the team were not genuine title contenders anymore due to the club's struggles with professionalism and a requirement that all their players remain active People's Liberation Army members.[9] With a significantly improved salary and a chance to win more silverware he would transfer to reigning league champions Dalian Shide at the beginning of the 1997 league season for a club record fee of 2,200,000 yuan at the time.[10]

Dalian Shide edit

His move to Dalian Shide would be a huge success and he would win the league title and Chinese FA Super Cup as well as also personally winning the Golden Boot and Golden Ball award in the 1997 season.[11] The following season, Hao would continue to add to his medal collection with another league title and more personal awards while barely losing the Asian Club Championship as well.[12] While Hao would be applauded for his football achievements and was even starting to be known as the "Chinese Alan Shearer", he would also show a darker aspect of his game after being fined for attacking a player on 15 March 1998 and was suspended for two games. This would also be followed by a year suspension by the Asian Football Confederation for spitting at a referee during the Asian Cup Winners' Cup.[13] Due to the suspension, Hao would miss out on much of the 1999 league season, however this wouldn't hinder him at all and his prolific goalscoring would continue to see him win several more league titles, the Chinese FA Cup and the Asian Cup Winners' Cup runners-up medal.[14] His stature within Dalian Shide would be so high that when then manager Milorad Kosanović left the club, Hao was immediately brought in as a caretaker to manage the team during the absence of a full-time manager.

Sheffield United edit

In January 2005, Hao was nearing the end of his career and received the chance to play abroad as English Championship side Sheffield United were increasingly interested in gaining access to a potentially lucrative footballing market and saw Hao as a symbolic first step in achieving this. Dalian Shide would release him as a gesture of goodwill following his record of good service towards the club and Sheffield United decided to make the transfer symbolic when Hao joined them for a record low transfer fee at the time by signing for £1 in 2005.[15] In January 2005, Hao joined Sheffield United where he suffered from injuries and worked mainly as a coach in Sheffield's academy. His only appearance came as a substitute in the 2005–06 FA Cup on 7 January 2006 in a 2–1 loss against Colchester United.[6][16] With no further opportunities, Hao retired and returned to China.[6]

International career edit

Hao enjoyed a stellar international career by playing at the 2002 FIFA World Cup and is the record top goalscorer with 41 goals for the Chinese national team. Although China never made progress into Asia’s final qualifying round 2006 (finished behind Kuwait), Hao led his country in a bid to reach Germany.[17] Hao is considered to be the best striker from China in the past two decades.

Personal life edit

With his ex-wife Chen Yi, Hao has a son, Runze Hao (郝润泽), who is also a professional football player,[18] and a daughter named Hao Runhan (郝润涵). Hao married former badminton champion Ye Zhaoying in summer 2019.[6]

Political views edit

On 4 June 2020, on the 31st anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, Hao Haidong and his wife Ye Zhaoying publicly denounced the Chinese Communist Party, including for its mishandling of professional sports, Tibet, Hong Kong, and the COVID-19 pandemic. "Football in China is a reflection of the country ... it's not the players that make it worse, it's the bureaucrats that damage the whole business by ignoring the rules", they said. They advocated the formation of a "New Federal State of China", a proposal supported by Chinese dissident Miles Kwok and American political strategist Steve Bannon.[19][20]

In response, the Chinese Communist Party first issued statements harshly criticizing Hao and Ye, and then altered course to expunge all references to them from the Chinese-accessible internet—the Weibo accounts of Hao and Ye were deleted, and their online profiles on major portals in China – Sina Sports and Tencent Sport – were expunged.[6] Six days later, in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Hao and Ye reiterated their criticism of one-party rule in China and restated their willingness to advocate for human rights despite potential political and personal costs: "There are many people who think the same way as we do but they don't dare to speak up inside the country – and they are becoming less and less willing to speak."[21]

It is extremely rare, if not unprecedented, for a successful Chinese sports star to unleash such a blistering public denunciation of the Communist Party and openly call for its downfall. Dissidents who publicly criticize the party or demand democratic reforms often face lengthy prison sentences. Hao has been outspoken on social and sports issues, but had not directly challenged the Communist Party prior to this occasion.[22]

Career statistics edit

International goals edit

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 30 February 1 Hiroshima Big Arch, Hiroshima, Japan   United Arab Emirates 1–1 2–2 (4–5 PSO) 1992 AFC Asian Cup
2 22 May 1993 Al Hassan Stadium, Irbid, Jordan   Pakistan 4–0 5–0 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifier
3 12 June 1993 Chengdu Sports Centre, Chengdu, China   Pakistan 2–0 3–0 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifier
4 26 October 1995 Workers Stadium, Beijing, China   Colombia 1–0 2–1 Friendly international
5 30 January 1996 Mong Kok Stadium, Hong Kong   Macau 6–1 7–1 1996 AFC Asian Cup qualifier
6 1 February 1996 Mong Kok Stadium, Hong Kong   Philippines 1–0 7–0 1996 AFC Asian Cup qualifier
7 1 February 1996 Mong Kok Stadium, Hong Kong   Philippines 2–0 7–0 1996 AFC Asian Cup qualifier
8 1 February 1996 Mong Kok Stadium, Hong Kong   Philippines 4–0 7–0 1996 AFC Asian Cup qualifier
9 28 June 1996 Beijing, China   New Zealand 1–0 2–0 Friendly international
10 25 September 1996 Seoul, South Korea   South Korea 1–0 1–3 Friendly international
11 26 November 1996 Guangzhou, China   South Korea 1–1 2–3 Friendly international
13 16 December 1996 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates   Saudi Arabia 1–0 3–4 1996 AFC Asian Cup
13 23 February 1997 Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lampur, Malaysia   Finland 2–1 2–1 1997 Dunhill Cup
14 2 March 1997 Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lampur, Malaysia   Bosnia and Herzegovina 3–0 3–0 1997 Dunhill Cup
15 20 April 1997 Workers Stadium, Beijing, China   Myanmar 2–0 5–0 Friendly international
16 11 May 1997 Pamir Stadium, Dushanbe, Tajikistan   Tajikistan 1–0 1–0 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier
17 25 May 1997 Thong Nhat Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam   Vietnam 3–1 3–1 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier
18 22 June 1997 Workers Stadium, Beijing, China   Vietnam 2–0 4–0 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier
19 26 September 1997 Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar   Qatar 1–1 1–1 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier
20 10 October 1997 Kazma SC Stadium, Kuwait City, Kuwait   Kuwait 1–0 2–1 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier
21 6 November 1997 King Fahd Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia   Saudi Arabia 1–1 1–1 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier
22 27 June 1998 Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand   Thailand 3–0 3–0 Friendly international
23 10 December 1998 Supachalasai Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand   Oman 1–0 6–1 1998 Asian Games
24 14 December 1998 Supachalasai Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand   Turkmenistan 3–0 3–0 1998 Asian Games
25 16 January 2000 Tianhe Stadium, Guangzhou, China   Uruguay 1–0 1–0 2000 Four Nations Tournament
26 23 January 2000 Thong Nhat Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam   Philippines 4–0 8–0 2000 AFC Asian Cup qualifier
27 26 January 2000 Thong Nhat Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam   Guam 1–0 19–0 2000 AFC Asian Cup qualifier
28 26 January 2000 Thong Nhat Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam   Guam 9–0 19–0 2000 AFC Asian Cup qualifier
29 26 January 2000 Thong Nhat Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam   Guam 10–0 19–0 2000 AFC Asian Cup qualifier
30 26 January 2000 Thong Nhat Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam   Guam 12–0 19–0 2000 AFC Asian Cup qualifier
31 5 August 2001 Shanghai Stadium, Shanghai, China   Trinidad and Tobago 1–0 3–0 2001 Four Nations Tournament
32 25 August 2001 Shenyang Olympic Sports Center Stadium, Shenyang, China   United Arab Emirates 3–0 3–0 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier
33 13 October 2001 Shenyang Olympic Sports Center Stadium, Shenyang, China   Qatar 3–0 3–0 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier
34 3 February 2004 Tianhe Stadium, Guangzhou, China   Finland 2–1 2–1 Friendly international
35 18 February 2004 Tianhe Stadium, Guangzhou, China   Kuwait 1–0 1–0 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier
36 31 March 2004 Siu Sai Wan Sports Ground, Hong Kong   Hong Kong 1–0 1–0 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier
37 9 June 2004 TEDA Football Stadium, Tianjin, China   Malaysia 1–0 4–0 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier
38 21 July 2004 Workers Stadium, Beijing, China   Indonesia 2–0 5–0 2004 AFC Asian Cup
39 30 July 2004 Workers Stadium, Beijing, China   Iraq 1–0 3–0 2004 AFC Asian Cup
Correct as of 7 October 2015[23]

Honours edit

Bayi[24]

Dalian Shide[24]

Individual

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Hao Haidong Profile". Premier League. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  2. ^ "Hao Haidong – Century of International Appearances". RSSSF. 10 June 2011. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
  3. ^ "Hao Haidong Biography". ESPN.
  4. ^ "郝海东出手收购湖南湘军(图)". sohu.com. 18 July 2006. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  5. ^ "松江宣布郝海东下课裴恩才挂帅 携泰达战略合作". sports.sohu.com. 20 November 2012. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Chinese sports couple who denounced Communist Party may disappear from record books". South China Morning Post. 5 June 2020.
  7. ^ Team, Editorial (27 November 2021). "Hao Haidong: China Greatest Striker Now Removed From History". History Of Soccer. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  8. ^ "足球报:在流浪中死去". news.sports.cn. 14 January 2004. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
  9. ^ "The rise and fall of Bayi's football soldiers". wildeastfootball.net. 22 August 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  10. ^ "本期人物:郝海东". sports.163.com. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
  11. ^ "China League 1997". RSSSF. 21 June 2003. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
  12. ^ "Asian Club Competitions 1997/98". RSSSF. 6 January 2003. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
  13. ^ "Profile of Hao Haidong". runsky.com. 25 February 2004. Archived from the original on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
  14. ^ "Cup Winners' Cup 2000/01". RSSSF. 27 August 2001. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
  15. ^ "Veteran Hao Haidong to join Blades for a quid". China Daily. 24 December 2004. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
  16. ^ "Sheffield United 1-2 Colchester United, FAC3, 7 Jan 2006".
  17. ^ Team, Editorial. "Hao Haidong: China Greatest Striker Now Removed From History". History Of Soccer. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  18. ^ "西甲球队签约郝海东爱子5年" (in Chinese). Sina Sports. 2 January 2017. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  19. ^ Yew, Lun Tian (4 June 2020). "Retired China soccer star calls for ouster of Communist Party". Reuters. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  20. ^ Shih, Gerry (5 June 2020). "Chinese soccer superstar Hao Haidong calls for ouster of Communist Party, stunning nation". The Washington Post. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  21. ^ Wong, Chun Han (10 June 2020). "Chinese Sporting Power Couple Issues Rare Rebuke of Ruling Communist Party". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  22. ^ Staff, C. N. N. (7 June 2020). "A Chinese soccer legend has called for the downfall of the Communist Party in shock videos". CNN. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  23. ^ "Hao Haidong - Century of International Appearances". RSSSF.
  24. ^ a b "Hao, Haidong". National-football-teams.com. 29 August 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  25. ^ "超霸杯:完全档案". Sports.sina.com.cn. 3 March 2000. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  26. ^ "王鹏上演帽子戏法 实德4-1胜力帆顺利捧得超霸杯". Sports.sina.com.cn. 30 December 2000. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  27. ^ "大连实德队1-0战胜青岛队 第3次夺得超霸杯冠军". Sports.sina.com.cn. 6 February 2003. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  28. ^ a b "1998年全国足球甲级队(A组)联赛". Zuqiuziliao.cn. 14 July 2011. Archived from the original on 11 December 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  29. ^ a b "2001年全国足球甲级队(A组)联赛". Zuqiuziliao.cn. 14 July 2011. Archived from the original on 28 November 2010. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  30. ^ "1997年全国足球甲级队(A组)联赛". Zuqiuziliao.cn. 14 July 2011. Archived from the original on 2 September 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  31. ^ "IFFHS announce the 48 football legend players". IFFHS. 25 January 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2016.

External links edit

  • Hao Haidong's personal website
  • Hao Haidong at Soccerbase  
  • International stats at teamchina
  • Player profile at sodasoccer.com
  • Hao Haidong at National-Football-Teams.com