About Dong Fangzhuo
Dong Fangzhuo (Chinese: 董方卓; pinyin: Dǒng Fāngzhuó; born 23 January 1985) is a Chinese former professional footballer who played as a forward. == Club career == === Early career === Dong first came to prominence in 2000 when he was named the most valuable player in an under-17 tournament. He then signed for Dalian Sidelong and helped them finish as runners-up in the Chinese Jia-B league in 2002. This then earned him a move to Dalian Shide, the most successful club team in China. Dong scored his first goal for Dalian in the second match of the qualifying stages of the 2002–03 AFC Champions League. === Manchester United === Dong left Dalian for Manchester United on 12 January 2004 for an initial fee of £500,000, which could have risen to £3.5 million, depending upon appearances. He thus became the first East Asian player to sign for Manchester United. After signing for Manchester United, he was unable to play for the senior team immediately because he was ineligible for a work permit. Due to these legal issues, Dong was loaned out to get first-team experience with Belgian First Division side Royal Antwerp where the employment laws were less strict. In his first season, he scored one goal in nine appearances as he began to get used to his new environment.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.