Hong Kong newspapers today are filled with news that Mateja Kezman will join South China for the remainder of the Hong Kong League season, which runs from September 2010 to May 2011. He will join Nicky Butt who already played a game for South China in November and will return in a week's time. http://www.scmp.com/portal/site/SCMP/menuitem.2af62ecb329d3d7733492d9253a0a0a0/?vgnextoid=fb65bb95e099d210VgnVCM100000360a0a0aRCRD&ss=HK+%26+China&s=Sport
http://www.southchinafc.com/template?series=1&article=8760 NEXT STOP FOR KEZMAN IS SOUTH CHINA The well traveled striker embarks on a new challenge in the far east. The Ex Partizan, Chelsea and Fenerbahce star has decided that South China FC will be is his next club. South China FC, Hong Kong is a club that just announced the signing of Champions League winner Nicky Butt in December 2010. Mateja who has recently been on loan in Russia is excited by the new challenge that greets him in Asia. Winning the Asian Football Cup is high on Mateja's agenda along with scoring goals for South China FC. The proven goalscorer has won a range of personal and team awards in Europe and now at the age of 31 is still aiming to develop his game. Mateja moves to Hong Kong later this month to join his new teammates and begin preparation for the AFC Cup. His new teammate Nicky Butt, who Majeta faced in the Champions League back in 2000 for Manchester United and PSV respectively will look to use their experiences to help the South China Squad progress. Mateja Kezman said: "Having played the majority of my career in Europe I wanted a new challenge in my life. The opportunity to play for South China FC excites me and I feel I can offer the team many things. I have maintained fitness over the winter and feel ready to play and score goals. I want more success in my football career and believe South China FC can bring that, I have spoken to the manager and seen the team play and I believe this is the right club for me, I'm confident this will be a fantastic experience for all involved." South China FC Chairman, Steven Lo said: "To attract a striker of Mateja quality is fantastic for South China, as a club we hope his ability and experience will be a great asset to our team. Mateja has scored goals in many of the world's top leagues and we hope he will do the same for South China. Everyone at the club is overjoyed by the acquisition of Mateja and the fans should be delighted at what he can offer South China FC ."
I never found Mateja that special. He had only some great years in the Netherlands, but after that he went slowly downhill. He basically failed everywhere... PSV was an exception.
I only saw him once in my entire life. It was 2000 when he came on as a sub for Yugoslavia against South China.
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_...4&sid=35113413&con_type=1&d_str=20120119&fc=4 The Standard Kezman ready for SAR swan song Ng Ka-Ki Thursday, January 19, 2012 Serbian star striker Mateja Kezman will retire after playing for South China at next week's Lunar New Year Cup at Hong Kong Stadium. "He said he really misses the Hong Kong fans and the atmosphere here, so he has decided to play his last two games here," Caroliners chairman Steven Lo Kit-sing said. "We want to have some special ceremony for him in the game, but we are still deciding how to do it." Kezman, 32, is a former Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain star. He played for South China last season alongside former Manchester United midfield star Nicky Butt. Kezman will fly in tomorrow to reinforce South China's squad for the popular holiday showpiece to be played on Monday and Thursday. South China face J-League side Shimizu S-Pulse at 6.30pm on Monday for a place in the final, with Guangzhou R&F taking on KLeague outfit Seongnam Ilhwa in the 4pm opener. The winners of the two matches will face off in Thursday's final. Kezman is coming off a stint with BATE Borisov, playing in five Champions League games.
South China Morning Post HK matches will be Kezman's last Serbian striker to appear for South China in Asian Challenge Cup before hanging up his boots for good Chan Kin-wa Former Serbia international Mateja Kezman will finish his glittering career in Hong Kong after playing for South China in the Asian Challenge Cup next week. The 32-year-old striker, whose former clubs include PSV Eindhoven, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, will return to Hong Kong tomorrow after agreeing to play for the Caroliners in the four-team tournament to celebrate Lunar New Year. "Kezman likes Hong Kong very much and has had a lot support from fans during his time here," South China convenor Steven Lo Kit-sing said. "If he wants a place to call it a day in his soccer career, there is no better place than Hong Kong. "This is an honour for Hong Kong soccer. We will arrange some activities for him on the second day of the tournament, which will be Mateja's last match as he bids farewell to a career of almost two decades. We will reserve the number 38 jersey he used in Hong Kong." South China will take on Japan League side Shimizu S-Pulse on the opening day of the tournament, which also features Chinese Super League side Guangzhou R&F and former Asian Champions League winners Seongnam Ilhwa Chuma of South Korea, at the Hong Kong Stadium on January 23. The winners of the two opening matches will battle for the cup three days later while the losers will face off for the third place. S-Pulse will be headed by Freddie Ljungberg, the former Arsenal star who played against Kezman in the English Premier League in 2004 when the latter was with Chelsea. "It will be nice to see them renew their rivalry," Lo said. "With Kezman's draw-power, we are expecting a crowd of about 15,000 on each of the two days, a 40 per cent increase on last year's tournament." Kezman joined Zemun in Belgrade as a 15-year-old before moving to Partizan, the country's leading club, four years later. He then joined Dutch side PSV Eindhoven from 2000 to 2003, scoring 35 goals in 2003 to help them win the league title. After playing for a long list of European clubs, he moved to South China in December 2010, along with former Manchester United star Nicky Butt. The Serbian scored seven goals during his four-month stint with the Caroliners. The influence of the two foreigners, however, was not enough to help South China progress beyond the group stage of the AFC Cup. The Caroliners also lost the all-important local league title to Kitchee, a result which kept them out of this season's AFC Cup. After leaving South China, Kezman had a short stint with Belarusian side Bate Borisov and played for them in the Uefa Champions League.
South China lost both matches by penalty kicks in the 2012 Asian Challenge Cup, to Shimizu S-Pulse and Guangzhou R&F. Matejz Kezman took the last penalty and blasted into the sky.
I dont get it, he turned into really shitty player in last years, and how good he played in Hong Kong so he suddenly became such star?