China's Zheng Zhi gears up for AFC Player of the Year award

Chinese national football team skipper Zheng Zhi hopes his nomination for the 2012 AFC Player of the Year could push forward the development of football in China. Zheng said it was a honor for him to be nominated for the award, together with Iranian midfielder Mohammad Ali Karimi who won the 2004 award and South Korean striker Lee Keun Ho. "It's a honor for me to be nominated as the AFC Player of the Year together with two of the best footballers in Asia," he said during a press conference on Wednesday. "In fact, the nomination for three of us will be a motivation for the development of football in our countries respectively." The three nominees have equal chances to win the award which is scheduled to be unveiled on Thursday, he said. The Asian Football Confederation website hailed the 32-year-old for "a series of impressive displays" as his Guangzhou Evergrande reached the quarterfinals of this year's AFC Champions League (ACL) on their continental debut. Zheng signed with Guangzhou Evergrande in 2010 after spells in former English Premier League team Charlton Athletic and Scottish giants Celtic. He is also the key player of the Chinese national team coached by Spaniard Jose Antonio Camacho. Zheng said playing in Europe would be a special experience for every player in Asia, and has helped him a lot in his career. Meanwhile, the training and matches with Guangzhou Evergrande have kept him on high level in the club and national team matches. He is looking forward to bringing his club to a better new season, especially in the AFC Champions League, Zheng said. Although Guangzhou Evergrande made it to the quarterfinals of AFC Champions League this year, while winning both the league title and FA Cup in China, Zheng remained a long shot for the award, as the Chinese national team failed to qualify for the final round of Asian qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Lee Keun-ho, who contributed several important goals in helping the Ulsan Hyundai claim the ACL champion and was named the Most Valuable Player' of the competition, is considered as the leading contender for the award.