From Yeovil and Wolverhampton in England to Johor in Malaysia, Hong Wan has put the journey into journeyman footballer
- Hong, who was born in London to a Malaysian mother and Chinese father, played for Wolves but never made the senior side
- A throwaway comment about playing for JDT ended up as a catalyst for his move to Malaysia, where he has thrived since
As a teenager growing up in the English football academy system, Hong Wan never imagined that he would one day be playing in Malaysia. But a surprise phone call in the summer of 2021 saw the midfielder swap Wolverhampton Wanderers for Johor Darul Ta’zim FC – a “massive decision” from which he has never looked back.
Hong, who was born in London to a Malaysian mother and Chinese father, played for the Wolves first team at the age of 17 as a memorable introduction saw him feature against Manchester City and Newcastle United on the club’s preseason tour to China.
“It was quite a surprise to me – the whole experience was bonkers,” Hong recalls to the Post. “Obviously the Chinese football fans saw me as one of their own; I did the kit reveal in China having fans scream my name. It was overwhelming.”
That was as close as Hong got to the Wolves senior side, impressing for the Under-23s but never making his competitive debut for the club.
Still, Hong is full of appreciation for his time at Molineux, particularly as he had previously been playing for League One club Yeovil Town before Wolves picked him up.
“It just gave me a lot of confidence being there,” says Hong, who played under current Luton Town boss Rob Edwards and later former West Ham and Aston Villa defender James Collins in the Wolves academy.
“Both Rob and James were unreal coaches who taught me a lot. Wolves is such a great place to get your football education and I think there is definitely an approach of ‘if you’re good enough, you’re old enough’.”
