Everton to China is an unusual route in the world of football but a former Toffee has not only gone that path but changed his name and nationality as well.
Tyias Browning is a 6ft 2′ centre back born in Liverpool in 1994 and he came through the Everton academy after joining them at the age of 10.
Coming through the Goodison club’s academy, Browning made his first team debut in 2012 but found game time limited and as a result was sent out on loan to Wigan in 2014.
He returned to make a handful of Premier League appearances before joining Preston on loan in 2016 and Sunderland the year later but his career took a turn in 2019 when he left England to move to China and join Guangzhou FC.
Now while Browning was not the first player to move from the Premier League to China, he had a more personal connection than most because his mother is of Cantonese Chinese descent.
Having moved across the world and with a call-up for England looking unlikely, the centre back decided to try and play international football for China. The only issue is that China has strict rules when it comes to becoming a citizen.
First of all, he could not hold dual citizenship which meant giving up his British passport but also he had to follow a programme that taught him how to be patriotic and the values of his new nation.
His club were involved in this process too with Guangzhou required to assign staff to track his progress but it was a test he passed and as a result, Browning changed his name to Jiang Guangtai.
On the football front, he had a familiar face as his coach in the form of Ballon d’Or winning centre back Fabio Cannavaro and the club won the Chinese Super League in 2019.
“You couldn’t ask for anyone better to work with as a defender,” he said of Cannavaro. “He’s very helpful when it comes to individual work. Hopefully I’ve many more years of working with him. I feel I’m improving, especially now I’m getting more game time.”
It was in that year that he gave an interview to the Mirror claiming the league was not the retirement home that some in Europe may have thought it was.
“It’s a lot more competitive than what people think and fans are extremely passionate when it comes to the game of football. There are a lot of things you have to adapt to on and off the pitch, the conditions being one of those but I feel like I’ve adjusted to it well.
“People were saying I was a bit young to come to China but I came here for a new challenge and I’m enjoying it.”
In 2021, he received his first call up and has since gone on to play 35 times for his new nation including 22 World Cup qualifiers.
In 2022, Guangtai moved to Shanghai Port where he has gone on to enjoy a trophy-filled stay. While at the club he has won the Chinese league on two occasions with the club making it back-to-back victories in 2022-23 and 2023-24.
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