Yorke roots for China vs Trinidad and Tobago with good reason

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In most spheres of life, pitting China against Trinidad and Tobago would be a battle of Goliath versus David.

But what about football?

China (population: 1.3 billion) is ranked 73rd in the world and Trinidad and Tobago (population: 1.3 million) 92nd, so there is a bit of a gap, at least on paper. But they've never met on the field of play and the Caribbean nation's best-known export is keen to change that.

Dwight Yorke, the retired former Manchester United star, has been in Beijing this week with his country's Prime Minister, Keith Rowley, who is on an official visit to China.

Yorke carries the title of sports ambassador for his country so he appears well-placed to bring about that dream match.

"China and Trinidad and Tobago have never played a game of football, so that would be a historical moment; a small country like us to get that recognition playing against a huge nation," he told CGTN Digital. "If that is something that could be organized, it would be a great introduction to the world that no matter where you come from that sports does bring people together."

World Cup flops

The two nations do have something in common having each appeared just once at a World Cup finals. Trinidad and Tobago has the distinction of being the smallest in size and population to have done so, though it will lose the population mark to Iceland at next month's tournament in Russia.

Dwight Yorke at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, May 15, 2018. /CGTN Photo

In 2002, when the finals were co-hosted by S. Korea and Japan, China failed to win any games, or indeed score any goals. Ditto Trinidad and Tobago in Germany four years later.

So while a match-up for bragging rights might be in order, Yorke is much more focused on giving greater international visibility to the twin-island republic. His eyes are trained on sports tourism, a fast-growing area of the global travel industry.

He displayed just a hint of jealousy when he noted that better-known tourism Caribbean destinations like Jamaica and Barbados are ahead of the game. So he is keen to let the huge Chinese population know that "unique" Trinidad and Tobago "does exist."

Yorke is from Tobago, the smaller of the two islands, and the more tourism-focused, while Trinidad, with its abundant energy resources, is the big industrial partner.

He is keen to leverage his sporting background – he is also a brand ambassador for Manchester United – to woo more traffic from China.

Dwight Yorke attending a Manchester United credit card event in Shanghai, April 22, 2018. /VCG photo

"We want to embrace the people of China to come and visit," he said. "We know that football is a growing aspect here. Being an ambassador for Manchester United football club, I've had the opportunity to travel around China and the fan base that we accumulate in this part of the world is enormous, so it is important that we tap into that as well."

China's growing investment in sports may also offer opportunities for promising players from his country in the future, he hopes, in the same way that he was plucked from obscurity in 1989 by Aston Villa to play in the Premier League.

He went on to join United and won every trophy that was available, most notably in the magic treble-winning season of 1998 with the league title, FA Cup and European Champions League and his individual Player of the Season award.

"For the young players of Trinidad and Tobago who do not have the opportunity to break into the European market, China is probably one of the next best to try to try and do that," he said.

Yorke is aware of Chinese President Xi Jinping's interest in football and his desire to see China shine on the world stage but suggests it's a goal that's some way off.

"Right opportunity"

The 46-year-old praised the country's investment in youth as recognition that officials are seeking to get the fundamentals right first. "Until they do that, I don't think the Chinese will be the force that they want to be. It will take some time but they have the right mentality to achieve their goals."

He hasn't yet abandoned his own coaching aspirations, even though a job in his favored England has been hard to come by, and is willing to consider the "right opportunity" should it arrive from China or elsewhere.

Until then, he is happy in his "fantastic role" of dabbling in the world of sports diplomacy, an area where China is a past master. Who can forget the so-called ping-pong diplomacy of the 1970s that helped to open up relations with the United States?

"Diplomacy and sport go hand in hand," Yorke said. "Not everyone can relate to politics, but everyone can relate to sports and I think that is where the diplomacy comes in."

(Top photo: Manchester United's Trinidad and Tobago international striker Dwight Yorke and his strike partner Andy Cole hold the English Premiership trophy over their heads at Old Trafford on May 16, 1998. /VCG photo)