Born in
The Hague to a Chinese father and a Dutch mother, Ling joined
Ajax in 1975 from hometown club
FC Den Haag. Despite winning the 1976–77, 1978–79, 1979–80 and 1981–82
Eredivisie titles while also reaching four Dutch Cup finals in a row between 1978 and 1981, Ajax could not replicate their early 1970s exploits. Only in 1980 were they able to reach a European Cup semi-final. Ling played together with the likes of
Ruud Krol,
Ruud Geels,
Frank Arnesen,
Soren Lerby,
Simon Tahamata and
Martin van Geel, and later also with
Wim Kieft,
Frank Rijkaard,
Gerald Vanenburg,
Jesper Olsen and
Sonny Silooy. In December 1981,
Johan Cruyff reunited with some of his former teammates at Ajax, causing Ling to lose his starting place once Vanenburg stepped in. After two years overseas with
Panathinaikos and
Marseille, Ling spent the 1985–86 season at Ajax's bitter rivals
Feyenoord, then moved back to Den Haag and retired in 1987. ==International career==