Au Wai Lun

Au Wai Lun (born 14 August 1971) is a former Hong Kong professional footballer who played as a striker. He is widely regarded as one of the best strikers in Hong Kong.

Club career
Au made his debut in Hong Kong First Division for Tin Tin on 20 December 1988, against Happy Valley. He was 17 years old at the time and the final result of the match was 0–2.

On the pitch, Au was recognized easily by his hairstyle – he sports peroxide-blond streaks in his locks. He wore the number 7 jersey for South China and was the captain of the team.

Being a veteran striker, Au is valued for his international experience and his strong aerial ability. The 6' tall striker remains one of the best headers in the League.

In the 2005–06 season, Au's good performance throughout the season could not prevent South China from finishing 7th in the league, with 2 points below the relegation line. He scored 8 league goals that season (4th among all players, 1st among Hong Kong players). Two years after retiring, he chose to return and play as an amateur player for Eastern, one of his former clubs.

In the summer of 2007, after being offered a new contract with a salary cut by South China, Au decided to retire. He claimed that the entire squad received new contracts with increments, but he was the only one with a salary cut. He thought the club was being unfair to him, who contributed for many years, even when the team performed so poorly for several seasons.

International career
Au was one of the top goal scorers of the Hong Kong national football team. He retired from international football after an exhibition match with Manchester United on 23 July 2005.

Au was remembered for his famous "cross passing during 1-on-1" in the final of 2002 Carlsberg Cup against Honduras. In the match, he received a pass from his teammate and got a goal opportunity. However, he passed the ball back and did not shoot. Further jokes on this were developed after this incident.

Personal life
After Au's retirement announcement, he was approached by Star Publishing and with the help of a professional writer, published his biography titled, "Lun . Football Biography" (倫．球傳).

Club
As of 19 May 2007

Club

 * Ernest Borel
 * Hong Kong FA Cup: 1991–92
 * Viceroy Cup: 1991–92


 * South China
 * Hong Kong First Division: 1996–97, 1999–2000, 2006–07
 * Hong Kong Senior Shield: 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2006–07
 * Hong Kong FA Cup: 1995–96, 1998–99, 2001–02, 2006–07
 * HKFA League Cup: 2001–02


 * Eastern
 * Hong Kong Third Division: 2010–11, 2011–12

Individual

 * Hong Kong Footballer of the Year: 1997, 2006