Dai Wai Tsun

Dai Wai Tsun (Chinese: 戴偉浚; Cantonese Yale: Daai Wáihjeun; born 25 July 1999), also known as Tsun Dai, is a Hong Kong professional footballer who plays for Chinese Super League club Shenzhen FC.

Dai Wai Tsun
Personal information
Full name Dai Wai Tsun
Date of birth (1999-07-25) 25 July 1999
Place of birth Hong Kong
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Shenzhen FC
Number 8
Youth career
2007–2009 Eastern
2009–2012 Kitchee
2012–2016 Reading
2016–2017 Bury
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017–2018 Bury 8 (0)
2018–2019 Oxford United 0 (0)
2019 → Jong FC Utrecht (loan) 12 (0)
2019–2020 Wolverhampton Wanderers 0 (0)
2020– Shenzhen FC 17 (1)
National team‡
2012–2013 Hong Kong U-15
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 10 November 2020
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 28 June 2019
In this Chinese name, the family name is Dai.

Dai is one of two Hongkongers to have appeared in an English professional match, with former Blackpool player Cheung Chi Doy being the other. Dai holds both a Hong Kong and British passport, and is therefore eligible to represent Hong Kong or England internationally.[1]

Early life

Dai was born in Hong Kong and was inspired to play football by his father who once played for Hong Kong's youth teams. He started playing the sport at the young age of 4, joining Eastern's youth system for a chance to become an international footballer. Dai later joined the Hong Kong Barcelona Football academy and trained with players born in 2000.

At first, he played in a defensive midfield position and was placed under the spotlight, and was often the captain as he showed his leadership skills on the pitch. He has participated in youth matches with Hong Kong Barcelona Football Academy in Spain and Poland, and his father's support was a major factor of his youth success compared with his peers. He moved to England for a chance to get training of a higher quality,[2] and joined the Reading youth team and enrolled in Hall Grove School and then Bradfield College.

He was also called up multiple times to the Hong Kong youth squads while in England, and played in multiple international youth competitions.[3]

Career

Bury

After leaving Reading, he was invited by Bury for a trial and joined the Bury youth system under the name Tsun Dai.

2017–18 season

After the 2016–17 season, Bury announced that 11 players were leaving the club, but gave Dai his first professional contract and the number 25 shirt, making him the second Hong Kong footballer to sign a contract with an English team.[4] His first game for Bury was a pre-season start against Sunderland on 8 July 2017. He helped build the second goal for Bury that allowed them to lead 2–1 before half-time, albeit not being credited with an assist. He was substituted off in the second half, and the match ended 3–2 to Sunderland. Bury manager, Lee Clark, stated that he was satisfied with Dai's performance and that he had vast potential.[5]

On 16 July, he played his second game coming off the bench against Huddersfield Town and earned a lot of compliment for his outstanding performance. His third match and second start for Bury was against Macclesfield, and played the entire match. Although the team lost 1–0, Dai's performance further improved and impressed both the coaches of Bury and the opponent. He received a 3-year extension to his contract, which would now last to 2020.[6]

Dai made his first league appearance for Bury on 5 August 2017 in a 1–0 win against Walsall, coming on as a substitute in the 60th minute.[7] In doing so, he became the second Hong Kong footballer to appear in an English professional match and the first to do so in 55 years.[8] Dai made his first competitive start for Bury five days later in a 1–0 defeat to Sunderland in the First Round of 2017–18 EFL Cup.[9]

Dai scored his first career goal for Bury as a consolation goal during their EFL Trophy tie against Fleetwood Town.[10]

Oxford United

Dai signed for Oxford United on 9 August 2018, for an undisclosed fee, on a two-year contract.[11] He was sold to Wolverhampton Wanderers a year later, again for an undisclosed fee, without having made a first-team appearance for Oxford.[12]

FC Utrecht

On 30 January 2019, Dai was loaned to FC Utrecht until the end of the season.[13] He made 12 appearances for the club in the second half of the season and recorded two assists.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

On 10 July 2019, Dai joined Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers Under-23s for an undisclosed fee, signing a two-year contract with the option of a further 12 months.[14] He made his under-23 debut as an 87th-minute substitute in a Premier League 2 fixture against Brighton under-23s on 13 August 2019.

Shenzhen FC

On 16 July 2020, Wolverhampton Wanderers announced that Dai had completed a move to Chinese Super League side Shenzhen F.C.[15] He played in the first two matches of the 2020 CSL, starting in the first game and came on as substitute in the second. On 29 August 2020, Dai scored the first goal for the club in a 2-0 win against Guangzhou R&F.

International career

In September 2018 Dai was called up to the preliminary squad of the Hong Kong national team.[16] Although it was initially reported that he had declined a Hong Kong call up due to injury, he later accepted a call up during the same window to a China under-21 training camp led by Guus Hiddink in Amsterdam.[17] Two weeks after the camp, Hong Kong manager Gary White once again named Dai in his preliminary squad for the 2019 EAFF E-1 Football Championship qualifiers.[18]

Personal life

Dai holds both a Hong Kong and British passport, and is therefore eligible to represent Hong Kong or England internationally.[19] His father is also an avid football supporter and has played for youth teams in Hong Kong, and goes to support his son every single match. His mother, who works in Hong Kong, visits them every few months. As Dai has played for Eastern's youth squad and has supported them since a young age, he has stated that if he ever has the chance to return to play in his native Hong Kong he would only play for Eastern.[20]

References
  1. "New Deal for Tsun Dai". Bury FC. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  2. 【港人踢英甲】港版足球小將月薪八千 戴偉浚誓圓父子英超夢 蘋果日報 18 June 2017 (in Chinese)
  3. 港產足球小將戴偉浚獲英甲貝利職業合約 Upower 18 June 2017 (in Chinese)
  4. 2016/17 Retained List Bury Football Club 5 May 2017
  5. 【香港勁揪】17歲港足球小將踢英甲貝利正選 友賽「黑貓」獲教練大讚 蘋果日報 8 July 2017 (in Chinese)
  6. 【英甲】港將戴偉浚獲貝利續約3年　友賽踢足全場不欺場 香港01 19 July 2017 (in Chinese)
  7. "Report: Shakers make the perfect start". Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  8. Porteous, James. "A future star? Hong Kong teenager Dai Wai-tsun looks set to make debut in English professional football after impressing in preseason friendly". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  9. "Match Report". Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  10. "Do or Dai: Tsun scores first professional goal for Bury but struggling Shakers crash out of Checkatrade Trophy". South China Morning Post. 10 January 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  11. "Tsun Dai Joins The U's". Oxford United F.C. 9 August 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
  12. Edwards, Mark (10 July 2019). "Oxford United midfielder Tsun Dai joins Wolverhampton Wanderers for undisclosed fee". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  13. "Tsun Dai Joins Utrecht On Loan". Oxford United F.C. 30 January 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  14. "Tsun Dai completes Wolves move". Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. 10 July 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  15. "Tsun Dai earns move to Shenzhen F.C." Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. 16 July 2020. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  16. "Tsun Dai Gets Hong Kong Call Up". Oxford United F.C. 26 September 2018. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  17. Chan, Kin-wa. "The mystery of Tsun Dai: Dropped by Hong Kong but training with China Under-21s?". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  18. White, Jonathan. "Gary White names preliminary Hong Kong squad for crucial EAFF play-off against Taiwan, North Korea and Mongolia". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  19. "New Deal for Tsun Dai". Bury FC. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  20. "戴偉浚 之 低調外流". Fanpiece. Retrieved 16 July 2017. (in Chinese)
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