Zeng Cheng
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Zeng Cheng | ||
| Date of birth | 8 January 1987 | ||
| Place of birth | Wuhan, Hubei, China | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Guangzhou Evergrande | ||
| Number | 19 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2005–2008 | Wuhan Guanggu | 14 | (0) |
| 2005–2006 | → Persebaya (loan) | 35 | (0) |
| 2009–2012 | Henan Jianye | 106 | (0) |
| 2013– | Guangzhou Evergrande | 56 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2009– | China | 30 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 May 2015. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Zeng Cheng (simplified Chinese: 曾诚; traditional Chinese: 曾誠; pinyin: Zēng Chéng; born 8 January 1987) is a Chinese footballer who currently plays for Guangzhou Evergrande in the Chinese Super League.
Club career
Early career
Zeng Cheng started his football career at top tier side Wuhan Guanggu; however, he was soon loaned out to Indonesia Super League side Persebaya for more playing time at the beginning of the 2005 season. On his return to Wuhan, he would be allowed to make his league debut at the end of the league season on 5 November 2005 in a 1-1 draw against Shanghai Shenhua.[1] For several seasons, Zeng would play understudy to Deng Xiaofei until Wuhan quit the league and were subsequently relegated in the 2008 season after the club's management did not accept the punishment given to them by the Chinese Football Association after a scuffle broke out during a league game against Beijing Guoan on 27 September 2008.[2]
At the beginning of the 2009 season, Zeng transferred to another Chinese Super League team Henan Jianye, where he was immediately chosen as first choice goalkeeper ahead of existing goalkeeper Zhou Yajun.[3] The move turned out to be a big success and the club would finish in it highest ever position of third within the league and qualify for the AFC Champions League for the first time in the club's history.[4]
Guangzhou Evergrande
On 1 January 2013, along with Zhao Peng and Yi Teng, Zeng successfully transferred to two-time, back-to-back Chinese Super League champions Guangzhou Evergrande on a free transfer.[5] During the 2013 season, Zeng established himself as Guangzhou's number one goalkeeper due to impressive displays which impressed manager Marcello Lippi. At the end of the season, Lippi credited Zeng as "one of Guangzhou's best buys." Zeng finished the 2013 season only conceding 16 goals and kept 13 clean sheets in 27 matches in the league. He was an important cog in what was considered absolute dominance by Guangzhou during the group and knockout stages of the AFC Champions League that season. On 9 November 2013, Zeng won the continental title with the club, winning the finals against FC Seoul in a two-legged tie which ended with them winning on away goals.
International career
Due to his impressive performances at the beginning of the 2009 season, Zeng was called up to the Chinese national team by then manager Gao Hongbo. He made his debut against Iran in a friendly which China won 1-0 on 1 June 2009.[6] After that game, he would become the national team's second choice goalkeeper behind Yang Zhi and be included in the squad that won the 2010 East Asian Football Championship before being included in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup squad. On 3 June 2012, Zeng was the goalkeeper between the posts against the world and European champions Spain. Even though they lost 1-0, he still made exceptional saves to prevent an even worse defeat. On 11 June 2013, Zeng played against the Netherlands and only conceded two goals, one from a penalty, which saw him perform many important saves.
Honours
Club
Guangzhou Evergrande
International
China PR national football team
- East Asian Football Championship: 2010
Individual
- Chinese Football Association Goalkeeper of the Year: 2013
- Chinese Super League Team of the Year: 2013
References
- ↑ "武汉青年军客场爆冷 申花战平黑马夺取亚军 评". sports.sohu.com. 5 November 2005. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
- ↑ "Wuhan ejected from soccer league – People's Daily Online". English.people.com.cn. 10 November 2008. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
- ↑ "内托奥利萨德贝轰双响炮 中超揭幕战河南2–1广州". sports.sina.com.cn. 21 March 2009. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
- ↑ "China 2009". rsssf.com. 23 April 2010. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
- ↑ "曾诚、赵鹏、弋腾正式加盟广州恒大". gzevergrandefc.com. 1 January 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
- ↑ "郜林补射绝杀高家军迎来首胜 中国队1–0胜伊朗". teamchina.sports.sohu.com. 1 June 2009. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
External links
- Zeng Cheng at National-Football-Teams.com
- Player stats at sohu.com
- Squad profile at Henan Construction website
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