Chinese investor is oldest goal-scorer at 45

SHANGHAI: A senior club official buried a penalty just weeks short of his 45th birthday to become the oldest goal-scorer in Chinese professional football history, media reports said. Zhuang Yi, an investor in third-tier Shenyang Urban, is a former player who came out of retirement last month — and on Sunday proved he still has that goal-scoring knack.

The forward stroked in the final goal from the penalty spot in a 4-0 victory over Yanbian Beiguo to cement Shenyang’s spot at the top of the league, according to the Shenyang Daily and other Chinese reports. Zhuang, whose name was chanted by the home crowd of 3,000 afterwards, came out of retirement in May, having hung up his boots and gone into business.

He was 44 years and 327 days old on Sunday, reports said, and the Chinese Football Association (CFA) confirmed that he was China’s oldest goal-scorer. Zhuang, who was back on the pitch because four first-team players were suspended, vowed afterwards to keep up his goal-scoring feats.

“Today’s goal was only a penalty, I don’t feel it’s enough,” the Shenyang Daily quoted him as saying. Chinese media did not say who the previous oldest goal-scorer was. However, Zhuang will need to play a few more years if he is to become the top golden oldie to take to the pitch in Asia. Last year, Japanese forward Kazuyoshi Miura became the first fifty-something to grace the J-League when he turned out for Yokohama FC. Now 51, “King Kazu” signed for another season earlier this year.