Zhang Honggen

{{Short description|Chinese footballer and coach}} {{Family name hatnote|[[Zhang (surname)|Zhang]]|lang=Chinese}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}} {{Infobox football biography |name = Zhang Honggen <br/>張宏根 |fullname = Zhang Honggen |image = |birth_date = {{Birth date|1935|11|27|df=yes}} |birth_place = [[Shanghai]], [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|China]] |death_date = {{Death date and age|2003|11|25|1935|11|27|df=yes}} |death_place = [[Beijing]], [[China]] |height = {{height|m=1.77}} |currentclub = |position = [[Forward (association football)|Forward]] |youthyears1= |youthclubs1= Shanghai Youth Football Team |years1= |clubs1= South China |caps1= | goals1 = |nationalyears1= 1954–1965 |nationalteam1= [[China national football team|China]] |nationalcaps1= 51 | nationalgoals1 = 3 | managerclubs1 = Beijing Youth Team | managerclubs2 = [[China national football team|China]] | managerclubs3 = China | managerclubs4 = China | managerclubs5 = [[Dalian Wanda F.C.|Dalian Wanda]] | managerclubs6 =[[Chengdu Blades]] | manageryears1 = 1970–1973 | manageryears2 = 1977 | manageryears3 = 1979 | manageryears4 = 1982 | manageryears5 = 1994 | manageryears6 =1999 |pcupdate = 7 May 2010 |ntupdate = }} '''Zhang Honggen''' ({{lang-zh|張宏根}}; 27 November 1935 – 25 November 2003) was a [[Chinese people|Chinese]] international football player and coach. As a player, he was one of the first footballers to play for the [[People's Republic of China]] at the international level, and as a coach, he was among the first managers to manage a fully professional Chinese football club, with his stint at [[Dalian Wanda]].

==Playing career== Zhang Honggen began his football career playing for the South China team until he turned eighteen when he was selected by the Chinese Head coach [[Li Fenglou]] to take part in China's first ever qualification for the [[1958 FIFA World Cup]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cnsoccer.titan24.com/09-04-20/212192_4.html |title=中国足球教父张宏根：甲A第一帅祥福左三列门墙_国内足球_体坛周报·体坛网 |publisher=Cnsoccer.titan24.com |access-date=2010-08-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717063557/http://cnsoccer.titan24.com/09-04-20/212192_4.html |archive-date=July 17, 2011 }}</ref> Despite not qualifying he was recognised as being China's best ever player.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://soccer.sina.com.hk/cgi-bin/nw/show.cgi/1073/2/2/1811622/1.html |title=清明節專稿-中國足壇最不該被遺忘的五個名字 – 新浪網 – 足球 |publisher=Soccer.sina.com.hk |date=2009-04-06 |access-date=2010-08-03}}</ref> As a vital member of the Chinese team and was praised for being technically sophisticated and having delicate footwork with a clear-head who was also good at both defensive and offensive play. This saw him remain a vital member of the team for several years even though China did not enter any further competitions and by 1965 Zhang Honggen retired due to an injury.

==Management career== Despite being only being thirty years old when he retired, Zhang Honggen eventually moved to management with Beijing Youth Team in 1970. After several seasons he replaced [[Nian Weisi]] in 1977 as manager of the Chinese football team, however his reign was uneventful and he left after only a year. He returned twice to this position in 1979 and 1982 to help the team for short periods, however these were again uneventful. In the [[1985 Summer Universiade]] he guided China to a third-place position before he moved away from football and took several sport positions that included the National Sports Commission Training Council Advisory Committee, the National Sports Commission and the Sports Services Inc. as well as a position in the Chinese Football Association coaches committee. In 1994, he returned to management with [[Dalian Wanda]] and won the league title with them in his first attempt, however after that victory he decided to become the teams advisor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sports.sina.com.cn/n/2003-11-26/0958673203.shtml |title=足坛名宿张宏根昨夜去世地位最特殊战绩最辉煌_国内足坛-国家队_NIKE新浪竞技风暴_新浪网 |publisher=Sports.sina.com.cn |access-date=2010-08-03}}</ref> Once more returning to management in 1999 with second tier club [[Chengdu Blades]] he only served for a short period because he was diagnosed of gastric cancer and had to resign, and in 2003 he died of gastric pain.

==Honours== ===Manager===

'''[[Dalian Wanda]]''' *[[Chinese Jia-A League]]: [[Chinese Jia-A League 1994|1994]]

==References== {{Reflist}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20110724070112/http://sports.skycent.net/?action-category-catid-13 Chinese Soccer]

==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20110717063557/http://cnsoccer.titan24.com/09-04-20/212192_4.html Zhang Honggen Biography] at titan24.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhang, Honggen}} [[Category:1935 births]] [[Category:2003 deaths]] [[Category:Chinese men's footballers]] [[Category:Footballers from Shanghai]] [[Category:Chinese football managers]] [[Category:China men's international footballers]] [[Category:Deaths from stomach cancer in China]] [[Category:Men's association football forwards]] [[Category:China national football team managers]] [[Category:20th-century Chinese sportsmen]]