Fan Zhiyi facts for kids
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 6 November 1969 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Shanghai, China | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1987 | Shanghai Shenhua | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1988–1989 | China B | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–1992 | China Olympic Development Team | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1992–1993 | Shanghai Shenhua | ||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1998 | Shanghai Shenhua | 99 | (31) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2001 | Crystal Palace | 88 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2002 | Dundee | 14 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2002 | Shanghai COSCO Huili | 12 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Cardiff City | 6 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2004 | Buler Rangers | 9 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | Shanghai Zobon | 30 | (6) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | Hong Kong Rangers | 5 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | 263 | (48) | |||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1992–2002 | China | 106 | (17) | ||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2004 | Buler Rangers (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | Shanghai Zobon (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | Buler Rangers (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | Suzhou Trips (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | Shanghai East Asia (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | Shanghai East Asia | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2016– | Shanghai Shenhua reserve | ||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||
Fan Zhiyi (born on November 6, 1969) is a famous Chinese football coach and former player. He was a strong defender who played for many teams. Some of his well-known clubs include Shanghai Shenhua, Crystal Palace, and Dundee.
Fan Zhiyi was a pioneer for Chinese football players. He and Sun Jihai were the first two Chinese footballers to play in English leagues. This happened when they joined Crystal Palace in 1998. He also played for the China national team in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Fan was the first player from China to win the AFC Player of the Year award. After his playing career, he became a football coach.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Fan Zhiyi was a very talented young player. He even won the Chinese league title with the China national B team in 1989. When he returned to Shanghai Shenhua, he became a regular player. He was known for his great fitness and hard work.
Success with Shanghai Shenhua
Fan was a strong central defender. He was good at tackling and excellent at heading the ball. In the 1995 season, he showed how versatile he was. He even played as a temporary striker and became the league's top goalscorer with fifteen goals. He helped Shanghai Shenhua win the league title that year. Later, he became the team captain. He led his team to win the Chinese FA Cup in 1998.
Playing in England and Scotland
In the 1998–99 season, Fan Zhiyi made history. He moved to England to play for Crystal Palace. This made him one of the first Chinese footballers in the English leagues. He quickly became a key player and was very popular with the fans. He even captained Crystal Palace for a time.
While playing for Crystal Palace, Fan also played for the China national team. He helped China qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in October 2001. In 2001, he won the Asian Footballer of the Year award. After helping China reach the World Cup, Fan moved to Dundee in Scotland.
Later Club Teams
After the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Fan returned to China briefly. He then went back to the United Kingdom. In November 2002, he joined Cardiff City.
In 2003, he became a player-coach for Buler Rangers in Hong Kong. He later moved back to Shanghai. He became the captain of Zhuhai Zobon, helping them get promoted to the Chinese Super League. The club later moved to Shanghai and was renamed Shanghai Zobon. Fan retired from playing football after a second short time with Buler Rangers.
International Football Career
Fan Zhiyi was a very important player for the China national team. He helped them qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. This was the first time China had ever made it to the tournament.
After the 2002 World Cup, Fan retired from the national team. He had played for China for ten years. He was a strong defender and played 106 games for his country.
Coaching Career
Fan Zhiyi always wanted to become a coach. He had some short periods as an assistant coach while he was still playing. After he stopped playing, he became a technical director and assistant coach for Suzhou Trips.
In 2010, Fan became the manager of Shanghai East Asia. He later worked as the manager for the youth team of Shanghai Shenhua between 2015 and 2018.
Achievements and Awards
Fan Zhiyi won many awards and titles during his career.
Player Honors
- China B
- Chinese Jia-A League: 1989
- Shanghai Shenhua
- Chinese Jia-A League: 1995
- Chinese FA Cup: 1998
Individual Awards
- Asian Footballer of the Year: 2001
- Chinese Football Association Player of the Year: 1995, 1996, 2001
- Chinese Jia-A League Team of the Year: 1995, 1996, 1997
- Chinese Jia-A League Top goalscorer: 1995
- Crystal Palace Player of the Year: 2001
Film and TV Appearances
Fan Zhiyi has also appeared in some TV shows and movies.
- Variety shows
- 2016: Running Man (episode 283)
- Film
- 2021: Never Stop (played himself)
- TV Drama
- 2023: Blossoms Shanghai (played Lao Fan)
See also
In Spanish: Fan Zhiyi para niños
- List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
