Hong Kong defender Leung reveals ‘biggest disappointment’, shares Lunar New Year Cup joy
Jacky Leung is the only player in Saturday’s 23-man squad based on the mainland and is back in the fold after a two-year absence
Jacky Leung Nok-hang said he held no grudge against previous Hong Kong bosses, but acknowledged his tally of 14 international caps was “one of the biggest disappointments of my career”.
The defender, who recently left Zhejiang FC for Shenzhen Juniors to be closer to his ill father, last appeared for Hong Kong in November 2023.
Leung was unable to answer a late call for former head coach Ashley Westwood’s first match in Liechtenstein in October 2024, because he was in Hong Kong visiting family without his passport.
In the squad for Saturday’s FWD Chinese New Year Cup meeting with FC Seoul, after playing in the Guangdong-Hong Kong Cup, the 31-year-old centre-back did not feature in any of Westwood’s 20 games in charge.
“I’m not someone who’ll try to defend myself, I just focus on what I do in training and games,” said Leung, who missed the Asian Cup finals in 2024 because of a knee issue.
“If the coach picks me, I do my best; if not, it doesn’t feel personal or that there are any problems with them.”