Zheng Zhi, China's football shine at AFC award gala

Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Player of the Year 2013 Zheng Zhi (R) of China receives his trophy from AFC President Shaikh Salman Ebrahim Al Khalifa during the AFC Annual Awards 2013 in Kuala Lumpur November 26, 2013. [Photo/Agencies]

Best club of Asia

Guangzhou Evergrande became the first Chinese team since 1990 to win the AFC Champions League. They drew 1-1 at home with FC Seoul in the second leg of the final on November 11, claiming the title on away goals after the first game in South Korea ended 2-2.

"Thanks to the players and coaches, thanks to AFC, thanks to Chinese Football Assiciation (CFA) for this award, I hope I can have a chance to give a long talk here in the award ceremony next year," said Liu Yongzhuo, Evergrande club chief.

The AFC Champions League victory makes Guangzhou's Italian coach Marcello Lippi the first coach to win the Champions Leagues of Asia and Europe, following his 1996 success with Juventus.

Guangzhou Evergrande, the biggest-spending club in China, promoted from League One to the Chinese Super League in the 2010 season, and swept the top flight titles in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

The team boasts famous coach Lippi and the all-conquering trio up front in Asia, Muriqui and Elkeson from Brazil and Conca from Argentina. Muriqui has just been named the AFC foreign player of the year.

Furthermore, most of the team's Chinese starters are national team members, including skipper Zheng Zhi, who has just been awarded the AFC Player of the Year.

Meanwhile, Chinese Football Association surprised many of the Chinese fans by winning the fair play association and AFC member association of the year (Inspiring Category).

Despite the glorious success by Guangzhou Evergrande in Asia, many Chinese was dismayed by the poor performance of the Chinese national team, which had been eliminated from the 2014 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers in early stage.

Lin Xiaohua, a senior official of the Chinese football association, cautious that Chinese football still has a long way to go.