Cheng moved to
Costa Rica when he was 8 years old along with his parents and sister, and is fluent in Spanish and English as well as his native
Cantonese. His father, Cheng Kwok Kan, was a famous footballer in Hong Kong who played for
Happy Valley before moving to Costa Rica. Cheng started his career in Costa Rica where he also represented Costa Rica for the youth level. In 1994,
Alajuelense sold Cheng to
Eastern for a then record transfer fee of HK$234,000. It has been the highest transfer fee record in
Hong Kong First Division League. The record stood until 2007 when
South China bought
Chan Wai Ho from
Hong Kong Rangers by HK$400,000. == Managerial career==