Chinese businessman (born 1991)
Zhang Kangyang
(
Chinese
:
?康?
; born 21 December 1991), known as
Steven Zhang
, is a Chinese businessman and former chairman of Italian
football
club
Inter Milan
.
[3]
Biography
[
edit
]
Born in
Nanjing
, Zhang is the son of Chinese billionaire
Zhang Jindong
, founder and chairman of the
Suning Holdings Group
. He was featured in Fortune China magazine's "40 Under 40" list.
[4]
As the President of Suning International, Steven Zhang has the ultimate responsibility for spearheading the business's international expansion and future ambitions. Suning International is part of Suning Holdings Group ? the commercial giant ranked second among the top 500 non-state-owned enterprises in China and
list of largest private non-governmental companies by revenue
with annual revenues of RMB 665.3 billion (approximately US$103 billion).
[5]
They are also the owners of
Suning.com
, a smart retail subsidiary currently ranked China's most valuable retail brand and listed on the
Fortune Global 500
List of the world's largest companies for three successive years, with a total brand value of RMB 269.198 billion and an operating income in over S$39 billion.
[6]
Inter Milan
[
edit
]
In October 2018, Steven Zhang became the youngest ever
chairman
of
Inter Milan
(or simply Inter).
[7]
Having been instrumental in
Suning Holdings Group
's acquisition of Inter in 2016, he then held a position on the Board and took over the management of operations for the club.
[8]
In 2019, Inter's enterprise value rose over 41% to EUR 692 million, the highest growth of any club in Europe. Inter is also ranked in the Top 10 for Club Stadia (Venue Performance).
[9]
In February 2020, Inter Milan sued
Major League Soccer
's
Inter Miami
for
trademark
infringement, stating that the term "Inter" is synonymous with its club and no one else.
[10]
As of 2022
[update]
, the case continues.
[11]
In April 2020, Zhang heavily criticized Paolo Dal Pino on Instagram, the president of Serie A, over his handling of the COVID-19 outbreak among footballers and clubs.
[12]
Unpopular with multiple Serie A club owners, and not just Inter for general incompetence, Dal Pino would eventually resign in February 2022, after two years in charge.
[13]
In July 2022, media reported that the Hong Kong High Court handed down its summary judgement against Zhang for unpaid (USD)$225m debt.
[14]
Silverware successes
[
edit
]
During the
2019?20 season
, Inter finished second in the league and finished as runners-up in the final of the
2019?20 UEFA Europa League
? the club's best performance in Europe since their
2009?10 UEFA Champions League
victory.
Inter then won the
2020?21 Serie A
with four rounds to spare, the nineteenth championship in the history of the club and eleven years after the last triumph in
2009?2010
. Zhang became the first foreign owner to win the
Scudetto
in
Italy
, and the first Chinese owner to win a domestic top-division European club championship.
[15]
On 12 January 2022,
Inter Milan
won the
Italian Super Cup
, the second trophy of Zhang's chairmanship.
[16]
[17]
On 11 May,
Inter Milan
won the
Coppa Italia
, the third trophy under his management.
[18]
During the 2022-23 season, Inter won the second consecutive
Italian Super Cup
, on the
King Fahd International Stadium
in
Riyadh
,
Saudi Arabia
, it was the fourth trophy during Zhang's tenure as chairman. On 24 May 2023, Inter won the second consecutive
Coppa Italia
by beating
Fiorentina
in the final.
On 10 June, at the
Ataturk Olympic Stadium
in
Istanbul
, Inter played the sixth
European Cup/Champions League
final in their history, after victories in the previous ones in
1964
,
1965
and
2010
and defeats in those of
1967
and
1972
. In the unprecedented match against the English team
Manchester City F.C.
(the two sides never faced each other before in UEFA competitions), the Nerazzurri were narrowly beaten by a goal from
Rodri
, thus missing the opportunity to win for the fourth time in the history of the top continental competition. This was the second European final since Zhang has been president of Inter.
[19]
On 22 January 2024, Inter won the eighth
Supercoppa Italiana
, played in
Riyadh
,
Saudi Arabia
, at the
KSU Stadium
, beating
Lazio
in the semi-final 3 to 0 and
Napoli
1 to 0 in the
2023 Supercoppa Italiana final
. Zhang became the third most successful Inter president in the team's history, behind
Angelo Moratti
and
Massimo Moratti
, and ahead of
Ernesto Pellegrini
and
Ivanoe Fraizzoli
,
[20]
[21]
with 6 trophies won out of eight finals played.
[22]
Member of the European Club Association
[
edit
]
Since March 2018 Steven Zhang has been on the
UEFA
Club Competitions Committee and is the only member from Asia. From September 2019, he was a member of the
European Club Association
(ECA) Executive Board.
[23]
the body established in 2008 and recognised by UEFA and
FIFA
, representing the interests of professional association football clubs in Europe. He is the first Chinese representative among 24 members of the Board.
[24]
Zhang resigned from it in April 2021.
[25]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
?米官宣?康??任主席 26?成?史最年?主席
.
Sina Tech
(in Chinese (China)). 26 October 2018
. Retrieved
30 October
2018
.
- ^
a
b
"STEVEN ZHANG NAMED PRESIDENT OF FC INTERNAZIONALE MILANO S.P.A."
(Press release).
Inter Milan
. 26 October 2018
. Retrieved
30 October
2018
.
- ^
"Inter Milan appoint Zhang as club president"
.
ESPN.com
. 26 October 2018
. Retrieved
29 August
2019
.
- ^
"Soccer: Steven Zhang is new president of Inter - English"
.
ANSA.it
. 26 October 2018
. Retrieved
31 December
2019
.
- ^
"Top 10 Chinese private enterprises in 2020"
.
China Daily
. 14 September 2020
. Retrieved
9 December
2020
.
- ^
"BRIEF-Suning Opens Milan Office In Euro-Expansion Plans"
.
Reuters
. 17 April 2018
. Retrieved
31 December
2019
.
- ^
Fumo, Stefania (27 October 2018). Written at Rome. Yang Yi (ed.).
"China's Steven Zhang appointed new Inter president"
. Beijing.
Xinhua News Agency
. Archived from
the original
on 27 October 2018
. Retrieved
30 October
2018
.
- ^
"China's Suning buying majority stake in Inter Milan for $307 million"
.
Reuters
. 6 June 2016
. Retrieved
31 December
2019
.
- ^
"Steven Zhang has been nominated as a Member of the ECA Executive Board"
.
FC Internazionale - Inter Milan
. Retrieved
31 December
2019
.
- ^
Mendola, Nicholas (11 February 2020).
"MLS, Inter Miami lose key argument in Inter Milan lawsuit"
.
ProSoccerTalk | NBC Sports
. Retrieved
30 June
2022
.
- ^
Winker, David (4 January 2021).
"Inter Milan First Round Trademark Win Over Inter Miami Stands"
.
law.com
.
- ^
Gaubert, Julie (3 March 2020).
"
'You are the biggest clown': Inter Milan chief's coronavirus tirade"
.
euronews
. Retrieved
30 June
2022
.
- ^
"Serie A president Paolo Dal Pino resigns"
.
SportsPro
. 2 February 2022
. Retrieved
30 June
2022
.
- ^
"Zhang's liability for unpaid $225m debt raises questions over Inter Milan's future"
.
Inside World Football
. 21 July 2022
. Retrieved
27 September
2022
.
- ^
Mariangela Pira (2 May 2021).
"Inter, Suning 1st foreign ownership to win the Scudetto in Italy: what happens now?"
.
sport.sky.it
(in Italian)
. Retrieved
13 January
2022
.
- ^
"Steven Zhang: "This is a really special moment for us"
"
.
inter.it
. 13 January 2022
. Retrieved
13 January
2022
.
- ^
"Inter Milan 2-1 Juventus (AET): Alexis Sanchez hits last-gasp winner in Italian Super Cup"
.
Sky Sports
. 12 January 2022
. Retrieved
13 January
2022
.
- ^
ANSA editorial staff (12 May 2022).
"Coppa Italia: Zhang 'I am very confident for the championship'
"
(in Italian).
ANSA
. Retrieved
12 May
2022
.
- ^
"Inter, che peccato! Gioca alla pari col City, ma la Champions e di Guardiola"
(in Italian). gazzetta.it. 10 June 2023
. Retrieved
16 January
2024
.
- ^
"STEVEN ZHANG, 5° TROFEO IN 5 ANNI CON L'INTER! E' IL PRESIDENTE PIU TITOLATO DOPO MASSIMO ED ANGELO MORATTI"
(in Italian). eurosport.it. 24 May 2023
. Retrieved
25 May
2023
.
- ^
Andrea Ramazzotti (25 May 2023).
"Zhang, altro trofeo. E il 3° presidente piu vincente dopo i Moratti: "Un onore, ma della finale non parlo"
"
(in Italian). gazzetta.it
. Retrieved
25 May
2023
.
- ^
"NUMBERS FROM THE SUPERCOPPA WIN"
. inter.it
. Retrieved
23 January
2024
.
- ^
"OFFICIAL - Inter President Zhang Elected To ECA Board"
.
SempreInter.com
. 10 September 2019
. Retrieved
27 September
2022
.
- ^
"Zhang becomes first Chinese member of ECA board"
.
SportBusiness
. 11 September 2019
. Retrieved
31 December
2019
.
- ^
"Inter President Steven Zhang Resigns From European Club Association After Super League Announcement, Italian Media Report"
.
sempreinter.com
. 19 April 2021
. Retrieved
13 January
2022
.
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(
2022?2023
)
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)
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