Chinese diaspora All-Time Greatest Team

This blogger Artur Yanturin of Russia copied many of my blog teams.  This blog was one of them.  It was my Russia All-Time Team here.  His team was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.   His Spartak Moscow All-Time team entry of was published in October 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2017.  His entry of the Dutch-German rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.  He also copied many many of my blog entries.

His Facebook and Instagram

Chinese coolies in the United States

Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index

Cheung Chi Doy
China, Japan, South Korea.
Hong Kong
Non-resident Indian and person of Indian origin PIO (Player of Indian Origin)
East Asia.

The mass emigration known as the Chinese diaspora, which occurred from the 19th century to 1949, was mainly caused by wars and starvation in mainland China, invasion from various foreign countries, as well as problems resulting from political corruption. Most immigrants were illiterate peasants and manual labourers, called "coolies" (Chinese: 苦力; pinyin: kǔ lì; literally: "hard labour"), who emigrated to work in places such as the Americas, Australia, South Africa, Southeast Asia, and Zealandia.

Team
GK:  Chow Chee Keong 仇志強 (Malaysia)
Chow Chee Keong was a Malaysian Chinese.  He earned his first senior cap as a 15 years old.  He played for Aveley F.C. in England when he was a student studying in the UK.  He also trained with West Ham. From 1966 to 1970, he was voted the best keeper in Asia for 5 straight seasons.  In 1970, he went to play in the Hong Kong league, which was the only professional league in East Asia. In Hong Kong, he played for Jardines, South China, Rangers and Tung Sing. He was voted as the AFC Goalkeeper of the Century.  

Chow Chee Keong against Pele

GK: Lam Fung Kei 林芳基 (Malaysia)
Lim played for Selangor FA in Malaysia Cup tournament in the late 60s and early 70s. He also played for the Malaysia national football team, and was in the team that qualified to the 1972 Munich Olympics football competition. In the finals, Lim played one group games against Morocco. Lim also played in Hong Kong for professional club Seiko SA, later residing there after retiring.

GK: Chanin Sae-ear (Thailand)
Chanin Sae-ear represented Thailand U23 in the 2014 Asian Games. Chanin is part of Thailand's squad in the 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup. In May 2015, he was called up by Thailand to play in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) against Vietnam. Chanin is the starting keeper for Thailand U23's victorious team in the 2015 Southeast Asian Games, he also conceded one goal during the whole tournament.

RB: Carlos Alberto Gomes Kao Yien "China" (Brazil)

Born in 1964, China started his career in 1983 with Rio Branco.  He was a journeyman playing in Brazil.  He played 23 Série A games and scored two goals for Grêmio between 1990 and 1991. With Botafogo, China played five Série A games in 1993, and was part of the squad that won that edition of the Copa CONMEBOL. He also played for  Linhares and Avaí.

RB: Leonardo Bruno dos Santos Silva "China"(Brazil)
Born in 1980, Dos Santos Silva is a strong right-back who began his football career with Bangor and had spells with Palmeiras, América-RJ and Volta Redonda before he joined Flamengo in 2004. In 2005, he moved to VfL Bochum.  He retuned to Brazil after one season, where he played for many clubs.  He also played in Portugal.  His nickname is China because of his Chinese background.

CB: Roberto Wong (Costa Rica)
Wong started his career at Herediano and played for Santos de Guápiles before starting a lengthy stint at hometown club Puntarenas. He also played for Liberia Mía, Barrio Méxicoand Saprissa from them on loan.  He made his senior debut for Costa Rica in a February 2007 UNCAF Nations Cup match against Panama and earned his second and final cap in an October 2007 friently against Haiti.

DF: Denis Chen (Guatamela)
Denis Chen played for Cobán Imperial and CSD Municipal before joining Petapa in 2007. In 2009, he joined Deportivo Jalapa and then Cobán Imperial. He made his debut for Guatemala in1999 friendly match against Canada. He earned a total of 33 caps, scoring 1 goal. He has represented his country in 6 FIFA World Cup qualification matches, as well as at the 2001 and 2003 UNCAF Cups and the 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

DF: Ivan Leon (Guatamela)
Ivan Leon made his debut for Guatemala in a 1989 friendly match against Poland. He has earned a total of 34 caps. He has represented his country in 4 World Cup qualification matches and played at several UNCAF Cups as well as at the 1998, 2000 and 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cups.  At the club level,  León has played the majority of his career for CSD Comunicaciones.

CB: Roberto Chen (Panama)
Chen graduated from San Francisco's youth setup, and made his senior debuts in the 2010–11 campaign, aged only 17.  In 2013, he moved to join Malaga in Spain, but spent most of his time on loans.  Art the time of writing, he plays in Colombia.  In 2011, he earned his first senior cap for Panama.   He was include in the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup team, appearing in all matches as Panama finished second.

SW: Soh Chin Aun 蘇進安 (Malaysia)
Soh Chin Aun is Malaysian Chinese.  He was affectionately known as Tauke or Towkay (English: Boss) by his teammates and fans. He played for Selangor FA  between 1970 and 1980 and  Malacca FA between 1981 and 1983. He represented Malaysia at the 1972 Olympics and the AFC Asian Cup in 1980.  Malaysia also qualified for the 1980 Olympics, but did not attend due to the boycott. He claimed to have played for Malaysia 324 times, a record not recognised by FIFA.

Soh Chin Aun 

CB/LB: Calvin Jong-a-Pin (Holland)
Calvin Jong-a-Pin started his career with Volendam in Holland.  He made his name with Heerenveen, where he played between 2006 and 2011. In 2011, he moved to play in Japan, where he played for  Shimizu S-Pulse, FC Machida Zelvia.  At the time of writing, he plays for Yokohama FC. He represented Holland for the 2008 Summer Olympics.  He is of Surinamese Chinese background.

DM: Cornel Chin-Sue (Jamaica)
From 1999 to 2004, Cornel Chin-Sue played 23 times for Jamaica.  He made his debut for the Reggae Boyz in 1999 against Bolivia and played his last in 2004 against Guatemala, collecting a total of 13 caps, scoring one goal. He was part of Jamaica's 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup squad but did not play in any of their games.  At the club level, he played for Arnett Gardens F.C.

CM: Shéu Han 邵汉 (Portugal)
Born in Portuguese Mozambique, Shéu played his entire career for Benfica between 1972 to 1989. He was an important member in the conquest of nine Primeira Liga championships and six domestic cups, captaining the team from 1987 to 1988.  In 1983, he scored a goal in the Final of the 1983 UEFA Cup.  He also played in the 1987-1988 European Cup Final.  He was capped 24 times for Portugal between 1976 and 1986.  

Shéu 

CM: Jaime Carreño (Chile)
His full name is Jaime Matías Carreño Lee Chong.  Jaime made his debut at Universidad Católica in 2015.  He was sent on loan to Everton de Viña del Mar in 2017. At the international level, he had represented Chile in the youth level. He got his first call up to the senior Chile squad for a friendly against Paraguay in 2015.  His uncle is Oscar Lee Chong who also represented Chile.

DM: Aron Winter (Netherlands)
Born in Suriname of an unique ethnic background, Aron Winter was both an Indian and Chinese descendent.  He started his career with Ajax, where he played from 1986 to 1992. He oined Lazio at the height of Serie A during the early 1990's.  He later played for Inter Milan between 1996 and 1999.  For the national team, he was a regular member of the team.  He was capped 84 times and a part of the Euro 1988 winning team.  His last major tournament was the Euro 2000.

Aron Winter

RW: Tschen La Ling 林球立 (Holland)
With Chinese ancestry, Tschen La Ling was known for his career with Ajax in the late 1970's and his partnership with Simon Tahamata, another player with Asian background.  He also played for Den Haag, Panthinaikos, Marseilles and Feyenoord.  He was capped 12 times for Oranje between 1977 and 1982. He played for both Ajax and Holland during the post-Cruyff era.

LW: Oscar Lee Chong (Chile)
Born in 1965, Oscar Lee Chong played once for Chile in 1997 in a match against Bolivia. At the club level, he played for Club de Deportes Los Náuticos, Palestino, Coquimbo Unido, Deportes Concepción, Temuco, and Rangers Talca throughout the 1990's .  His nephew is Jaime Carreño Lee Chong, who is also a professional footballer.  His grandfather was a Chinese immigrant who moved to Chile from Peru.

Oscar Lee Cheong

LM/CM: Frank Soo 蘇衛清 (England)
Frank Soo was the first non-white player to represent England (in unofficial wartime matches).  He played 9 times for the war time England team between 1942 and 1945.  At the club level, he was first player of Chinese origin to play in the English Football League. He played for Stoke City between 1933 and 1945.  At one point, he captained the side. In the war years, he also played for Leicester Town.  After the war, he played for Luton Town and Chelmsford City.

Frank Soo (first right)

AM: Mark Chung (USA)
Mark Chung was born in Toronto to Hakka Chinese Jamaican parents. He was drafted sixth overall by the Kansas City Wizards in the 1996 MLS Inaugural Draft.  He was named MLS Best XI in the first season.  He later played for Metrostars, Colorado Rapids and San Jose Earthquake.  At the international level, he was eligible to play for Canada and Jamaica, but he chose the United States. He was capped only 24 times, despite being one of the top players in the MLS.

FW: Augusto Rocha (Portugal)
Born in Macau, Augusto Rocha was a son of a Portuguese father and a Chinese mother. He started his career with Sporting Clube de Macau.  He moved to Portugal to play for Sporting CP in 1955.  After two seasons, he joined Académica, where he played almost 400 games between 1956 and 1971. Between 1958 and 1963, he played 7 times for Portugal, making his debut against Spain.

FW: William Sunsing (Costa Rica)
At the club level, William Sunsing played for many clubs around the world. He made his debut with Herediano in 1995.  He played New England Revolution in the United States, FK Teplice in the Czech Republic and Akratitos in Greece.  He also played for Deportivo Saprissa, Santa Bárbara and Pérez Zeledón in Costa Rica.  He earned 35 caps for Costa Rica.  He was a non-playing squad member at the 2002 FIFA World Cup and the 2001 Copa América.

FW: Jorge Sarmiento Koochoi (Peru)
Jorge Sarmiento Koochoi started  with Sport José Gálvez in 1916 . In 1918, he joined Guillermo Rivero to Sport Alianza (Alianza Lima), where he played until 1934.  He was known to be the club's first great goal scorer. For the national team, he represented Peru at the 1927 South American Championship.  He also went to the first ever World Cup Finals, held in Uruguay.  His father was a wealthy baker living in Peru.

Jorge Sarmiento Koochoi 

ST: Bryan Ching (USA)
At the club level, Bryan Ching played for LA Galaxy, Seattle Sounders, San Jose Earthquakes and Houston Dynamos in the United States. He was best remembered for winning two MLS Cup with Houston. He was the MLS Cup MVP  in 2006.  With San Josem he also won a MLS Cup in 2003, but his season was plagued by injuries. He was the MLS Golden Booth in 2004.  Between 2003 and 2010, he earned 45 caps for the United States.  He was a non playing member at the 2006 World Cup Finals.

Bryan Ching 

Honorable Mention
Maikel Chang (Cuba), Boris Alfaro (Panama), Adam Chicksen (Zimbabwe),  Pierre Min Zhen Wang (Austria), Lim Teong Kim (Malaysia), James Wong (Malaysia), Wong Choon Wah (Malaysia),  Alexander N'Doumbou (Gabon), Richard Chin A Poo (T&T), Etienne Shew-Atjon (Holland), Cerezo Fung A Wing (Holland), Jonathan Klinsmann (USA), Tahiti Chong (Holland), Vincent Simon (Tahiti), Nova Arianto (Indonesia), Cipriano Yu Lee (Ecuador).

Squad Explanation
-- I only selected players who did not represent any national team from the Greater China region. Singapore is sometimes considered to be a part of Greater China.  At this moment, I have not considered any Singaporean players.  Singapore is country with ethnic Chinese as majority.
 -- Most players are of mixed races. 
-- Many of the surnames were not registered properly in the old days.  For example, "Sunsing" was probably the given name of William's ancestor, not the surname. 
-- Jorge Sarmiento Koochoi of Peru went to the first ever World Cup Finals in 1930.  He was probably the first ever ethnic Chinese to attend a World Cup Finals.
-- A large number of Malaysian Chinese represented Malaysia in the 1970's.
-- Chow Chee Keong appeared numerous times in my blogs.  He was relatively forgotten.  In his prime, he was considered to be the greatest goalkeeper in Asia.  He was voted as the AFC Goalkeeper of the Century.
-- Both Brazilian Chinese players were nicknamed "China" and played as a rightback.
-- Jurgen Klinsmann is married to Chinese American.  Their son Jonathan, at the time of writing, has played in a single Europa Cup match, which is actually higher level than any keeper with Chinese heritage ever played.  But he needed more time to develop in order to be seriously considered.
-- Xavier Chen was born in Spain,  He is a part of Chinese diaspora, but he had played for Taiwan. 
-- Mark Chung was born in Toronto to Hakka Chinese Jamaican parents. His family moved from Toronto to the United States, when Chung was twelve.  He was eligible to play for both Canada and Jamaica.
-- Aron Winter came from multi-ethnic background.  He said publicly that he is part-Chinese.  His grandfather is Surinamese Hakka. The Hakka people are Han Chinese. The Chinese characters for Hakka (客家) literally mean "guest families".  Their ancestors moved around and settled down mainly in Southern China.  GThey are not tied to a specific region.  There is a Hakka saying: "Wherever there is sunshine, there are Chinese; wherever there are Chinese, there are Hakka."[
-- Tahiti Chong who now plays for Manchester United is also of Surinamese Chinese background.  In fact, there must be other Surinamese Dutch footballers who are of Chinese descent.
-- Frank Soo was the first non-white player to represent England in football, but only in the wartime international matches.
-- There are a huge Chinese diaspora in Jamaica.  They intermarried with the Black population. Patrick Chung who played for New England Patriots in American Football is a Jamaican Chinese. I am surprised to find so few soccer players of Chinese background from Jamaica.  Mark Chung and  Cornel Chin-Sue are the only two from there.
-- Adam Chicksen is of English, Zimbabwean and Chinese descent. Chicksen's mother is English and his father is from African Zimbabwe and Chinese heritage.
-- Álvaro Recoba is nicknamed "El Chino"(The Chinese), but he is not Chinese.  People thought that he looked "Asian" or "Chinese".

Formation