Fan Zhiyi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Fan Zhiyi
范志毅

Personal information
Date of birth	(1969-11-06) 6 November 1969 (age 55)
Place of birth	Shanghai, China
Height	1.83 m
Playing position	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	Buler Rangers	5	(0)
Total		263	(48)
National team
1992–2002	China	106	(17)
Teams managed
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
Honours Men's football Representing  China Asian Games Silver 1994 Hiroshima Football Bronze 1998 Bangkok Football
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Fan Zhiyi (born November 6, 1969) is a famous Chinese football coach and former player. He was a strong defender who played for many teams. These included Shanghai Shenhua, Crystal Palace, and Dundee.

Fan Zhiyi made history when he and Sun Jihai became the first Chinese footballers to play in English leagues. This happened when he 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.

Fan Zhiyi: A Football Star

Early Career and Rise

Fan Zhiyi was seen as a very talented young player from the start. He joined the China national B team. This team was allowed to play in China's main football league for one season.

He was very successful with them, even winning the Chinese league title in 1989. After this, he returned to Shanghai Shenhua. Playing professionally helped Fan become even better.

His amazing fitness, hard work, and great positioning as a central defender made him a regular player. By 1995, he was known as a tough player who was excellent at heading the ball. He also showed how versatile he was by playing in different positions.

Sometimes, he even played as a striker. In 1995, he was the league's top goalscorer with fifteen goals. He helped Shanghai Shenhua win the league title that year. Later, he settled into playing as a central defender and captained his team. They won the Chinese FA Cup in 1998.

Playing in England

In the 1998–99 season, Fan Zhiyi made big news. He left Shanghai to join Crystal Palace in England. This was a huge step, as he and Sun Jihai were the first Chinese players in English football leagues.

Fan quickly became a key player at Crystal Palace. Fans and staff loved him, and he helped the club gain many new supporters in China. He even became the captain of Crystal Palace for a while. He scored several important goals for the club.

While playing for Crystal Palace, Fan also played for the China national team. He played in the 2000 AFC Asian Cup. In 2001, he personally won the Asian Footballer of the Year award.

After helping China qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in October 2001, Fan moved to Dundee in Scotland. He even scored a great long-distance goal against Celtic.

Returning to China and Retirement

After the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Fan decided not to go back to Dundee. He chose to return to China. He joined the top-tier club Shanghai International for a short time.

Soon after, he went back to the United Kingdom. He tried out for Gillingham. However, Fan decided to join Cardiff City in November 2002.

In October 2003, he signed a one-year contract to be a player-coach for Buler Rangers in Hong Kong. But he only stayed a few months. In early 2004, he moved back to Shanghai.

He became the captain of Zhuhai Zobon. He led the club to get promoted to the Chinese Super League a year later. The club then moved to Shanghai and changed its name to Shanghai Zobon. Fan left the club after the 2005 season. He joined Buler Rangers for a second time. After playing five games, he decided to stop playing football and retired.

International Success

Fan was a very important and experienced 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 returning from the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Fan announced he was retiring from the national team. He had played for China for ten years. He was a strong part of their defense and played 106 games for his country.

Life After Playing

Fan always said he wanted to become a football manager. He had short periods as an assistant coach while he was still playing. He helped out at Buler Rangers and Shanghai Zobon.

Once he stopped playing football, he became a technical director and assistant coach. This was at Suzhou Trips. Fan became the manager of Shanghai East Asia in 2010. However, he was let go at the end of that season. Between 2015 and 2018, Fan worked as the manager for the youth team of Shanghai Shenhua.

Achievements and Awards

Player

China B

• Won the Chinese Jia-A League: 1989

Shanghai Shenhua

• Won the Chinese Jia-A League: 1995
• Won the 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

Fan Zhiyi in Entertainment

Fan Zhiyi has also appeared in some TV shows and movies.

Variety shows

Film

TV Drama

See also

In Spanish: Fan Zhiyi para niños

• List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps