Will_Donkin
Will Donkin
Taiwanese footballer
William Rupert James Donkin (Chinese: 沈子貴; pinyin: Shěn Zǐguì, born 26 December 2000) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Chinese Super League club Shanghai Port. Born in England, he represents the Chinese Taipei national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Rupert James Donkin[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (2000-12-26) 26 December 2000 (age 23)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Oxford, England | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Winger, Attacking midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Shanghai Port | ||
| Number | 17 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010–2012 | Barnet | ||
| 2012–2017 | Chelsea | ||
| 2017–2019 | Crystal Palace | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2020 | Stabæk | 0 | (0) |
| 2020–2021 | Balzan | 3 | (0) |
| 2021 | → Mosta (loan) | 5 | (1) |
| 2021–2022 | Mosta | 27 | (5) |
| 2022–2023 | Shenzhen FC | 27 | (1) |
| 2024– | Shanghai Port | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2018 | Chinese Taipei U19 | 3 | (0) |
| 2017– | Chinese Taipei | 18 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11:30, 12 February 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19 November 2019 | |||
Donkin was born in Oxford to an English father and a Taiwanese mother. He lived in Amsterdam at a young age.[3] He went to school at Eton College and played for the school Association 1st XI at the age of only fifteen. During his time at Eton he represented England Independent Schools (ISFA) at Under-14, Under-15 and Under-16 level.[4]
At the age of nine he was scouted by Barnet's academy, before signing for Chelsea at the age of eleven. He played for the Chelsea Academy for five years, winning numerous honours including the Premier League Under-15 International Tournament where he scored in the final during a 2–1 victory over Manchester City.[5]
In March 2017, he was signed by Crystal Palace to play in their Under-18 team, where he helped the side win the southern league in his first season. On 28 September 2019, he signed for Stabæk Fotball in the Norwegian Eliteserien, although he will be ineligible to play for the first team until 1 January 2020.[6]
In September 2020, Donkin joined Maltese Premier League side Balzan on a one-year deal.[7] After making only three substitute appearances for Balzan, Donkin was loaned to fellow Maltese Premier League side Mosta until the end of the season.[8] On 6 March 2021, Donkin scored his first professional goal in a 5–1 victory over Senglea Athletic.[9]
On 31 August 2022, Donkin completed a move to Chinese Super League side Shenzhen.[10] The club was dissolved in January 2024.[11]
On 12 February 2024, Donkin joined fellow Chinese Super League club Shanghai Port.[12]
Youth
On 7 October 2018, he was named in the under-19 side for the 2018 AFC U-19 Championship.[13] He played every minute of Chinese Taipei's campaign at the tournament, which ended with them eliminated in last place in their group.
Senior
In October 2017 it emerged that Taiwan head coach Gary White was seeking European based players with Taiwanese heritage to represent the team, having also called up Ross County midfielder Tim Chow.[14] In November, it was announced that Donkin had also been called up after impressing for the national under-19 team during training.[15][16] He made his debut at the age of 16 as an 85th-minute substitute [17] but could not prevent Taiwan from being eliminated from Asian Cup qualification at the hands of Turkmenistan. He returned to the national team in December for the 2017 CTFA International Tournament, earning plaudits as he appeared from the bench in all 3 games, overall assisting 2 goals and hitting the crossbar in his performances.[citation needed]
In November 2018, he was named in the Chinese Taipei side for the 2019 EAFF E-1 Football Championship second round.[citation needed]
Taiwanese fans have nicknamed Donkin "Doughtnut Boy" due to how his surname translates into Mandarin.[18]
Club appearances
- As of 31 December 2022.[19]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Stabæk | 2020 | Eliteserien | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 0 | 0 | |||
| Balzan | 2020-21 | Maltese Premier League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 3 | 0 | ||
| Mosta (Loan) | 2020-21 | Maltese Premier League | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 5 | 1 | ||
| Mosta | 2021-22 | Maltese Premier League | 27 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | - | 31 | 8 | |
| Shenzhen | 2022 | Chinese Super League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 3 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 38 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 9 | ||
- Notes
International appearances
- As of 19 November 2019[20]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese Taipei | 2017 | 4 | 0 |
| 2018 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 7 | 0 | |
| Total | 18 | 0 |
- "Updated squads for 2017/18 Premier League confirmed". Premier League. 2 February 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
- Buckton, Mark (6 June 2020). "TTT Interview: Will Donkin – Taiwan's Footballing Star Of The Future". The Taiwan Times. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
- "TAIWAN'S ETON TEEN EAGER TO FACE SOCCEROOS". FTBL. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
- Youth Development Phase 2015/16 roll of honour. 7 July 2015. Premier League.
- Henter spiller med fortid i Chelsea og Crystal Palace Stabæk Fotball (in Norwegian). 26 September 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
- "Balzan sign former Chelsea Academy player". timesofmalta.com. 17 September 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
- "Will Donkin leaves Balzan to join Mosta on loan". timesofmalta.com. 1 January 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
- "Mosta vs Senglea Athletic". Maltese Football Association. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
- "Mosta's Will Donkin moves to China Super League". sportsdesk.com.mt. 31 August 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
- "深圳队官宣解散：未能通过准入，无法继续征战职业联赛" (in Chinese). Dongqiudi. 22 January 2024. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
- "三连宣！官方：茹萨、古斯塔沃、沈子贵加盟上海海港" (in Chinese). dongqiudi. 12 February 2024. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
- "U19男足重返亞錦 最後衝刺加入三名臺裔戰力" (in Chinese). CTFA. 7 October 2018.
- British soccer player of Taiwanese descent to join national team Focus Taiwan. 31 October 2017. Accessed 15 November 2017.
- Crystal Palace Under-18 Will Donkin to join Taiwan national football team Taiwan News. 3 November 2017. Accessed 15 November 2017.
- U18s Midfielder Donkin Gets Full International Call-Up CPFC.co.uk. 7 November 2017. Accessed 15 November 2017.
- Rogers, Jonathon (2 May 2018). "Will Donkin: A Teen Living The International Dream". Crystal Palace v Leicester City matchday programme. Crystal Palace F.C. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
- Will Donkin at Soccerway. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
- "Will Donkin". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
- Will Donkin at Soccerway