(XINHUA)

Chinese national football team skipper Zheng Zhi was awarded the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) football player of the year prize at the annual gala of the AFC in Kuala Lumpur on November 26, for his performance on pitch for both his club and country.

Zheng, 33, was the former captain of the China national team. After signing with Guangzhou Evergrande in 2010 following a spell at former English Premier League team Charlton Athletic and Scottish giants Celtic, he soon became the backbone of the team.