Fan Zhiyi


Fan Zhiyi is a Chinese coach and former international footballer. He played as a defender for Shanghai Shenhua, Crystal Palace, Dundee, Shanghai International, Cardiff City, Buler Rangers and Shanghai Zobon.
He was considered a trailblazer in his native homeland when Sun Jihai and he became the first two Chinese footballers to play in the English leagues, joining Crystal Palace in 1998. Internationally, he would go on to play with the Chinese national team in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He has since gone on to become a football coach and had his first stint as manager at Shanghai East Asia.

Club career

Fan Zhiyi was considered a talented youngster and integrated into the Chinese National B Team which was allowed to take part in the Chinese football league system for a season. His time with them was extremely successful and he was even able to win the Chinese league title with the team in the 1989 league season before he had to return to Shanghai Shenhua. After returning to Shanghai and playing in his first season as a professional, Fan's best was brought out of him due to the improved level of play. His superb fitness and hardworking ethics as well as his excellent positional play as a central defender would see him become a regular within the team. By the 1995 league season, he had already gained a reputation as tough tackler who had superb aerial ability especially from set-piece plays, however he would also show his versatility as a player when he played in several positions including a provisional striker when he was the league's top goalscorer with fifteen goals as he guided Shanghai Shenhua towards the league title in the 1995 season. After several seasons he had now settled into central defense as a sweeper and would captain his side as they won Chinese FA Cup in 1998.
In the 1998-99 season, Fan made national headlines when he left Shanghai to join First Division side Crystal Palace where he and Sun Jihai became the first Chinese footballers in the English leagues. Fan soon established himself as an important player at Crystal Palace and was very popular with the fans and staff as well as winning the club many new fans back in China. He was also the captain of Crystal Palace for a while and scored several important goals for the club. As he played for Crystal Palace, Fan would also play in the 2000 AFC Asian Cup for the Chinese national team before personally winning Asian Footballer of the Year in 2001. After helping China qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in October 2001, Fan transferred to Scottish Premier League side Dundee for £350,000. He managed to score against Celtic in a 3-1 loss with a good long-distance shot after positioning himself well after he received a pass from Nacho Novo.
After returning from the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Fan decided not to return to Dundee and decided to return to China to join top tier club Shanghai International for a brief period. He would soon return to the United Kingdom where he had a trial with Gillingham F.C., however Fan decided to join Second Division side Cardiff City in November 2002.
In October 2003, he signed a one-year contract to become player-coach of Hong Kong First Division League side Buler Rangers. However, his stay in Hong Kong lasted only a few months when, in early 2004, he moved back to Shanghai to become the captain of China League One side Zhuhai Zhongbang. He led the club to promotion to the Chinese Super League one year later and the club renamed to Shanghai Zobon after it moved to Shanghai. Fan left the club after the 2005 season and joined Buler Rangers for a second stint but after five games, he decided to end his playing career and retired.

International career

Fan was a key veteran of the Chinese national team that qualified for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, their first time qualifying for the tournament. After returning from the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Fan announced his retirement from the national team after ten years where he was an anchor in the defense and was capped 106 times for his country.

Management career

Fan often stated that his desire was to move into management and had brief spells as an assistant coach with Buler Rangers and Shanghai Zobon while he was still playing. Once he retired from playing football, he became a technical director and assistant coach at China League Two side Suzhou Trips. Fan became manager of China League One side Shanghai East Asia in 2010, but he was sacked at the end of the 2010 season.

Career statistics

International goals

#DateVenueOpponentResultCompetition
14 February 1996Hong Kong2–01996 AFC Asian Cup qualifier
221 February 1997Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia3–11997 Dunhill Cup Malaysia
328 February 1997Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia3–11997 Dunhill Cup Malaysia
428 February 1997Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia3–11997 Dunhill Cup Malaysia
520 April 1997Beijing, China5–0Friendly international
625 May 1997Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam3–11998 FIFA World Cup qualifier
722 June 1997Beijing, China4–01998 FIFA World Cup qualifier
813 September 1997Dalian, China2–41998 FIFA World Cup qualifier
931 October 1997Dalian, China2–31998 FIFA World Cup qualifier
1030 November 1998Surat Thani, Thailand4–11998 Asian Games
1114 December 1998Bangkok, Thailand3–01998 Asian Games
1219 December 1998Bangkok, Thailand3–01998 Asian Games
1313 October 2000Tripoli, Lebanon2–22000 AFC Asian Cup
1422 April 2001Xi'an, China10–12002 FIFA World Cup qualifier
1522 April 2001Xi'an, China10–12002 FIFA World Cup qualifier
1631 August 2001Muscat, Oman2–02002 FIFA World Cup qualifier
1715 September 2001Shenyang, China2–02002 FIFA World Cup qualifier

Honours

Player

Club

Chinese National B Team
Shanghai Shenhua

Variety shows