Striker Yang was the first Chinese to bag a Bundesliga goal, hitting the net 21 times for Eintracht Frankfurt. Elsewhere, Shao Jiayi and Zheng Zhi enjoyed a degree of success in Germany and Scotland with Energie Cottbus and Celtic, respectively.

The now-retired Shao was the last Chinese player to score in one of the world's top soccer leagues－in 2008, for then-Bundesliga outfit Cottbus.

In an exclusive interview with China Daily, Shao urged more Chinese youngsters to try and follow their soccer dreams abroad.