Fan Zhiyi says he turned down a Liverpool offer made by Gerard Houllier in a pub and also rejected Newcastle United, while a trial at Tottenham Hotspur 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, although injury badly hampered his tournament.

Speaking to AFP in Shanghai, Fan remembers how he caught the eye of then-England manager Terry Venables and how his Palace team-mates often tried to lure him to the pub, while describing his enduring affection for the “charm” of English football.

It was at a pub that, according to Fan, then-Liverpool manager Houllier met his agent and wanted to sign the Chinese trailblazer.

It was January 2001 and a Palace side with Fan at the heart of the defense had beaten a Liverpool team containing Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen 2-1 in the home leg of the League Cup semi-finals.