Paralympic silver medallist Wang Zhoubin of China has announced he will retire from football following the conclusion of the ASEAN Para Games ©Getty Images

Paralympic silver medallist Wang Zhoubin of China has announced he will retire from football following the conclusion of the ASEAN Para Games in Malaysia in September.

Wang, who was part of the Chinese side which won the silver medal on home soil at the Beijing 2008 Paralympics, confirmed he would hang up his boots after the event in Kuala Lumpur, scheduled to take place from September 17 to 23.

In announcing his retirement, the 27-year-old admitted he was fearful for the future of the sport in China, with several of his counterparts set to follow suit later this year.

China finished fourth in the five-a-side football tournament at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro as they were beaten on penalties by Argentina in the bronze medal match.

Wang blamed their Rio 2016 disappointment on “over-training”, which he feels has also contributed to the decision of his team-mates to retire.

“I am planning to retire in 2017 because I have had many injuries lately,” he said.

“In 2016, I injured my foot and had a surgery.

“It was so painful and, of course, affected my performance during the Paralympic Games in Rio.

“All team members suffered injury problems, because we over trained before Rio.”

Wang outlined his future concerns and also revealed his frustration over the lack of a national blind football league in the country.

Wang Zhoubin was part of the Chinese team which lost to Argentina on penalties during the bronze medal match at Rio 2016 ©Getty Images
Wang Zhoubin was part of the Chinese team which lost to Argentina on penalties during the bronze medal match at Rio 2016 ©Getty Images

“I am concerned about the future of the national team after we leave,” he said.

“The new and young players will need more time to come up and take over the team.

“I wish we could have a blind football league like Spain, Great Britain and Brazil. 

"Players over there are constantly competing at a high level and gaining more experience.

“In China we only take part in international events.

“It is very hard to continue competing at the highest level if we do not have a national league.”

Despite the concerns over the future development of the sport in his country, Wang is hopeful 2017 can be a “great year” for China in five-a-side football.

“I think we are among the best teams of the world in dribbling,” he said.

“But our shooting skills and our physical strength is not as good as the other teams.

“If we want to improve as a team, we have to keep working on our technique and train harder in the gym.

“Without a doubt, Rio 2016 taught us some valuable lessons.

“I hope 2017 can be a great year for five-a-side football in China.”