Hong Kong goalkeeper ‘winning bet’ after quitting school for football
Pong Cheuk-hei pushing for first international cap after excellent start with new club Kitchee following three years ‘learning how to lose’
Six years after he disappointed his mum by quitting school at 16, goalkeeper Pong Cheuk-hei is shining for record-breaking Kitchee and pressing for a senior international Hong Kong debut this month.
“It was a good bet,” Pong said of his decision to abandon education after Ho Kwok-chuen, the former Hong Kong goalkeeper who was coaching at Resources Capital, asked the non-committed student: “If you’re just going to waste time in class why not come to train every day?”
“I bet on myself that I could get much stronger than other keepers my age if they were combining playing with studying,” Pong said. “I’m winning the bet.”
Not that the 22-year-old’s gamble always appeared destined to pay off.
Currently the No 1 for a Kitchee side that beat Kowloon City 4-0 on Saturday for a record 11th straight Hong Kong Premier League victory, Pong spent the past three seasons “learning how to lose”.
Across spells with lowly trio HK U23, Resources Capital and North District, he conceded 198 goals in 68 matches and twice finished bottom of the league.