Fan Zhiyi says he turned down a Liverpool offer made by Gerard Houllier in a pub and also rejected Newcastle, while a trial at Tottenham was torpedoed by injury.
But does the 50-year-old known as "General Fan" in China have any regrets? Not for a second, because he became a cult hero at Crystal Palace and represented his country at their only World Cup in 2002.
Fan remembers how he caught the eye of then-England manager Terry Venables and how his Palace teammates often tried to lure him to the pub, while describing his affection for the "charm" of English football.
In January 2001 a Palace side with Fan at the heart of the defense beat a Liverpool team containing Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen 2-1 in a League Cup semi-final match, prompting interest from then-Liverpool manager Houllier.
However, Liverpool - like Newcastle, who also made him an offer - wanted to limit his time with the national side. "Many people called me silly for giving up a better opportunity, better wages and probably more fame," says Fan, adding that he could not turn his back on China.
Fan was always destined to end up in England after impressing against an England side led by Venables and featuring Paul Gascoigne and Alan Shearer in a May 1996 friendly in Beijing which the visitors won 3-0.
In 1997 Fan was offered a two-week trial with Tottenham, but he was injured and failed to show his best. A year later, Venables signed Fan and Sun Jihai for second-tier Palace.
Fan would play more than 100 times for Palace and even captained them. He moved to Dundee in Scotland in 2001 and later Cardiff City.
"Every time I have the opportunity to go back to London or the UK, I feel like it's returning home," says Fan, whose London-born daughter holds a British passport.
Fan Zhiyi helps train the Shanghai Shenhua women's football team. AFP
