Liang Nengren

Leung Nang Yan (born 2 February 1954), known in English as Leung Nang Yan, was a prominent Hong Kong footballer in the 1980s. A commanding midfielder nicknamed "Poison‑Yan" for his incisive passing, he began in Yuen Long’s youth ranks and went on to play in the First Division for Yuen Long, South China, Rangers, and Happy Valley.

Background

Early life

Leung grew up in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, before moving as a child to Fanling. He is one of four brothers and one sister; his father worked as a Star Ferry captain. He attended Fanling Public School and Buddhist Tai Kwong Ci Hang College (Form 1, 1966–67), then graduated from King's Road English College (Forms 2–5). From primary school he played on the school team and regularly went to local fields with neighbour and fellow future professional player Kwok Ka‑ming.

Playing career

As a schoolboy Leung competed in Inter‑School football. In 1970 he was recruited to represent Southside Village in the inaugural Yuen Long Summer Cup and joined Yuen Long’s reserve squad, earning promotion to the First Division in 1972 at age 18. In 1975 he joined South China, making 209 appearances and scoring 46 goals over seven seasons. In 1982 a management overhaul at South China led to his transfer to Rangers; a year later he moved to Happy Valley.

Leung spent over a decade at Happy Valley before retiring at age 41 on 23 April 1995, celebrated with a farewell match at Mong Kok Stadium attended by 7,460 fans. In 1995–96 he briefly returned to play five matches for Rangers as an experienced fill‑in, then permanently retired from top‑flight football. He was selected Hong Kong Footballer of the Year in 1977–78 and named among the league’s Best Eleven in nine seasons (1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90). He earned 28 caps and scored three goals for the Hong Kong national team between 1975 and 1990. Remarkably, he received only one yellow card and no red cards in his career.

Retirement

After retiring, Leung ran a bar in Sheung Shui and coached youth in the North District. He now coaches at the Arsenal Soccer School (Hong Kong) for players under age 12.

Honours

• Hong Kong Footballer of the Year: 1977–78
• Hong Kong Best Eleven: 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90

External links

• Hong Kong Football Association player profile