HK Team

Huang Yang: “My last Kitchee season was the best for me”

As the majority of the fans at Hong Kong Stadium fixed their eyes on mega stars like Kaka and Eden Hazard during the FWD Insurance Chinese New Year Cup on 1 February 2025, the Hong Kong legends quietly went about their business and were clearly not overawed by their more illustrious opponents.

The Hong Kong team pushed the world legends all the way to the end (3-3 normal time) and lost on penalties. A night of memories & nostalgia with more than 20,000 people in attendance as the curtain is finally set to close on the grand old Hong Kong stadium.

HK football aficionados were also no doubt pleased to see local stars of yesteryear. One such player was Huang Yang, the former Kitchee mainstay, who was again seen spreading the passes around midfield.

Huang Yang, deep in the corridors of Hong Kong Stadium, shared his views on the game and retirement.

Huang Yang first spoke about facing some of the greatest players in the history of the game.

“I was a little bit nervous before the game as these are all the top top players from all around the world and I really enjoyed playing against them all.”

Huang Yang recently brought down the curtains down on his long Kitchee career though still plays in Shanghai to keep fit.

“When I retired, I kept playing high intensity games in Shanghai (my hometown), as I don’t want to drop down too quick when I retired. I still enjoy high level football in Shanghai so that is why it was not too bad for me today in terms of physical play.”

Huang Yang actually knows megastar Kaka as they used to train together in Brazil.

“I only focused on Kaka as I was in Brazil at Sao Paulo football club for one year and I trained with Kaka at the same training camp. We knew each other from when we were 15 or 16 years old. I was happy to see Kaka again after 26 years!”

Does Huang Yang miss the daily grind of football? No, it seems as he feels the timing was right.

“The last Kitchee season was the best season for me so it was a happy ending. I could play another two or three years for another club but that season was the best time to retire.”

A night of glamor and stars at Hong Kong stadium though sometimes it is those who humbly and quietly get the job done who deserve all the attention.

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