Li Tie
Li Tie (李铁; born May 18, 1977 in Liaoning, China) is a Chinese professional footballer. He currently plays for Everton F.C. The cream of his generation of Chinese football players, Li was already a veteran of the national squad when China embarked on their World Cup debut in 2002. Despite ending the compaign without a win, Li was shipped to the Premiership in an exchange deal between sponsors Kejian and Everton. His first season at Goodison Park was a surprising success. Manager David Moyes played him in 31 league games, the majority from the starting line-up, where his displays as a defensive midfielder helped the club clinch a 7th place finish. Everton tussled with his former club Liaoning Bodao to sign him permanently after the 2002/3 season. The deal was finally closed in August 2003 for an undisclosed fee, with Li signing a three-year deal. It is likely Everton paid between £500,000 to £1.5 m for the midfielder, although the price was hugely offset by outside sponsorship. His 2003/4 season was marred by a sending-off (against Arsenal, Aug 2003) and a series of injuries.
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