Nathaniel Shio Hong Wan[note 1] (Chinese: 温绍康; pinyin: Wēn Shàokāng; born 17 August 2000), commonly known as Hong Wan,[3] is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Malaysia Super League side Johor Darul Ta'zim.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nathaniel Shio Hong Wan[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (2000-08-17) 17 August 2000 (age 22) | ||
| Place of birth | Croydon, England[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Johor Darul Ta'zim | ||
| Number | 6 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2006–2017 | Charlton Athletic | ||
| 2017–2019 | Yeovil Town | ||
| 2019–2021 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2021 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | (0) |
| 2020 | → Varaždin (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2021– | Johor Darul Ta'zim | 9 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10 September 2022 | |||
Hong Wan was born to a Malaysian mother and an English-Chinese father in Croydon, England.[4][5] His mother is from Tangkak, Johor, Malaysia[6] while his father was born in Beihai, Guangxi, China.[7]
He started playing football when he was two-and-a-half years old,[8] and was scouted by Arsenal, Charlton and Crystal Palace in his first tournament.[9] He joined Charlton Athletic Academy at the age of six.[7]
Hong Wan came through the academy of Charlton Athletic,[10] before joining Yeovil Town in 2017. He was the captain of the under-18 squad,[10] however, he failed to make a senior appearance for the club.[4]
In 2019, Hong Wan signed for Wolverhampton Wanderers on a permanent deal.[11] In July 2019, he joined the senior team for a friendly tournament in China, Premier League Asia Trophy.[12] Wolves won the tournament with Hong Wan playing two matches against Newcastle United and Manchester City.[13]
In early 2020, he was loaned to Croatian side Varaždin, but made no senior appearances due to the COVID-19 pandemic before returning to Wolves four months later.[14][15] Despite failing to make any Premier League appearance for Wolves, he managed to make 21 appearances for the club's under-23 team in the 2020–21 Premier League 2 Division 2.[16]
On 30 June 2021, Hong Wan joined Malaysia Super League side Johor Darul Ta'zim on a free transfer,[5] because he saw it as an opportunity to develop as a player and play at a high level.[9] He made his competitive debut with JDT in the 2022 Piala Sumbangsih, the Malaysian super cup competition, coming on as a 90th minute substitute.[17] On 4 March 2022, Hong Wan made his league debut in the first round of the 2022 Malaysia Super League against Penang.[18]
Due to his place of birth and parents' origin, Hong Wan is eligible to represent England, Malaysia, and China internationally.[19]
In March 2022, he was called up to the Malaysia national football team training camp, ahead of friendly matches against the Philippines, Singapore, and Albirex Niigata Singapore.[20] However, he did not make it to the final 25-man squad due to lack of fitness.[21][22]
Hong Wan's father moved from China to England at the young age and his mother moved to England from Malaysia in her twenties to pursue her studies.[8]
Hong Wan received his Malaysian passport and identity card in 2021 after joining Johor Darul Ta'zim.[23][24]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Wolverhampton Wanderers U21s | 2019–20 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2020–21 | — | — | — | — | — | 1[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Total | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| Johor Darul Ta'zim | 2021 | Malaysia Super League | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2022 | Malaysia Super League | 9 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4[lower-alpha 2] | 0 | 1[lower-alpha 3] | 0 | 17 | 0 | |
| Total | 9 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 9 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 0 | ||
Johor Darul Ta'zim
[Nathaniel] is my English name but I don't tend to use that, I just use Hong.
My father moved from China to England when he was quite young [...] [my mother] moved to England when she was in her twenties. [...] she was studying and working part-time and then come over.
Johor Darul Ta'zim F.C. – current squad | |
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