‘Passion and fun’ of US helped change mindset of Hong Kong footballer who refused to quit
Marco Wong rewarded for patience and hard work at FA Cup winners Tai Po after period in cold led to fears over career
He learned during six years in the United States to “enjoy life every day”, but Marco Wong Hin-sum had his joie de vivre tested during a period this season when he questioned whether he had a future in football.
Excellent in Tai Po’s FA Cup final victory over Eastern District on Saturday, Wong barely figured for the opening 8½ months of his first season back in Hong Kong after completing his university studies in New York.
A Tai Po native and “big fan” of the district club, Wong reached his nadir in February when, for the third time, he was included as an overage player in an under-22 squad but failed to get off the bench.
“I was pretty upset and thinking, ‘what’s my future in football?’,” Wong, 23, said.
“I had negativity and, at times, I wanted to give up but I stuck with it. I knew things would change. Sometimes, you need to wait – hard work pays off.”
Wong spent two years at Northwood School in Lake Placid, where he achieved top-tier grades and played semi-professionally for Black Rock FC. He gained a mathematics degree from St. Lawrence University in Canton, roughly 630 kilometres (390 miles) north of New York City.