Despite the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United still have a large fan base in China thanks to Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs (from left to right).

When Manchester United kicked off tours of China in 2005 and 2007, the far-reaching appeal of the English champions was unforgettable, evidenced by the thousands of red-shirted fans present at the team hotel and far more in the stadium to catch a glimpse of their idols.

Come this weekend, the mania will once again take hold of Chinese fans as the team arrives in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province on Saturday to play a match the next day against local team Hangzhou Greentown.

With an estimated worldwide fan base of 300 million and counting, including 192 million across Asia, the Red Devils have felt the fan's appreciation and passion during their first two legs of this year's Asian tour in Malaysia and South Korea.

After selling superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid, Man U coach Sir Alex Ferguson has restricted his summer purchases to Michael Owen, on a free transfer, Wigan's Antonio Valencia and Bordeaux's Gabriel Obertan. Soccer critics have expressed concern that the team's popularity will wane from Ronaldo's departure.

But the throng of fans and media in Malaysia and South Korea indicates that the Red Devils boast a massive and loyal fan base in Asia.

The welcome mat for Man U is set to be as far-flung in China as it was in South Korea and Malaysia.

In addition to rooting for Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs and Dimitar Berbatov, many of the Chinese fans have gone crazy about Owen after he scored a sensational individual wonder-goal in England's 98 World Cup match against Argentina.

After a sensational start to his career for both Liverpool and England, Owen's form had been in doubt due to a succession of serious injuries in recent times.

But he has had impressive performances after finding the back of the net twice in a row in the first two Asian tour matches in Malaysia.

"Owen is getting old and his form has been sloppy due to injury before joining the United," said Liu Liang, a fan from Hangzhou. "But our love of him has never changed. We are so excited to see him in China and hope he will revive his career in United."

Another glaring inclusion might be South Korean star Park Ji-sung, who has missed the team's first two preseason matches in Malaysia due to injury but is set to return during United's third match against Park's home club FC Seoul today and the Asia tour's final match in Hangzhou.

Park is seen as the most successful Asian player in Europe and is always a fan favorite in Asia.

Learning experience

Players from the Hangzhou Greentown are also looking forward to going toe-to-toe with some of the world's best players.

"It's my honor to play with United. Some of them are my idols," said Ma Cheng, captain of Hangzhou. "I'm sure we can learn something that can not be learned from the domestic league.

"They have good defense in the midfield and are physically stronger than us. It's definitely a much more difficult match than we have played in the domestic league.

"But we can benefit a lot from competing with them," said Ma, who hopes to exchange shirts with his idol Rooney after the game.

Midfielder Zhang Ye will be the only Chinese player to play twice against United as a former Shenzhen player in 2007, when United kicked off their China Tour in Shenzhen, Guangdong province.

"I still remember that I was so nervous two years ago. It's totally different between watching them play on television and playing against them on the pitch. We are far lacking in strength, speed and technique.

"But I still feel lucky to have two chances to play against them. I think I can play much better than I did the last time."

With all of the Hangzhou players clamoring for some playing time on Sunday, head coach Zhou Sui'an is feeling the heat to accommodate all of them.

"Everyone is eager to play against United. I think I will put on as many as possible. Anyway, it's a rare and valuable experience."

Zhou shrugged off the chance to beat United, though he looks to play offensive soccer.

"The gap is apparent. I will not think of the result. But I will ask my men to play an offensive game in order to put on a wonderful match."

(China Daily July 24, 2009)