| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1969-11-06)6 November 1969 (age 55) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 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 | Buler 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 | |||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||
Fan Zhiyi (Chinese:范志毅;pinyin:Fàn Zhìyì; born 6 November 1969) is a Chinese coach and former international footballer. He played as adefender forShanghai Shenhua,Crystal Palace,Dundee,Shanghai COSCO Huili,Cardiff City,Buler Rangers andShanghai Zobon.
He was considered a trailblazer in his native homeland whenSun 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 theChina national team in the2002 FIFA World Cup. Fan was also the first player from China to be named AFC Player of the Year.[1] He has since gone on to become a football coach and had his first stint as manager atShanghai East Asia.
Fan Zhiyi was considered a talented youngster and integrated into theChina 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 toShanghai Shenhua.[2][3] 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.[4] After several seasons he had now settled into central defense as a sweeper and would captain his side as they wonChinese FA Cup in 1998.[5]
In the 1998–99 season, Fan made national headlines when he left Shanghai to joinFirst Division sideCrystal Palace where he andSun Jihai became the first Chinese footballers in the English leagues.[6] 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.[7] 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 the2000 AFC Asian Cup for theChina national team before personally winningAsian Footballer of the Year in 2001.[8] After helping China qualify for the2002 FIFA World Cup in October 2001, Fan transferred toScottish Premier League sideDundee for £350,000.[9] He managed to score againstCeltic in a 3–1 loss with a good long-distance shot after positioning himself well after he received a pass fromNacho 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 clubShanghai International for a brief period. He would soon return to the United Kingdom, where he had a trial withGillingham; however, Fan decided to joinSecond Division sideCardiff City in November 2002.[10]
In October 2003, he signed a one-year contract to become player-coach ofHong Kong First Division League sideBuler Rangers. However, his stay inHong Kong lasted only a few months when, in early 2004, he moved back to Shanghai to become the captain ofChina League One sideZhuhai Zobon. He led the club to promotion to theChinese Super League one year later and the club renamed toShanghai Zobon after it moved toShanghai. 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.
Fan was a key veteran of theChina national team that qualified for the2002 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.[11]
Fan often stated that his desire was to move into management and had brief spells as an assistant coach withBuler Rangers andShanghai Zobon while he was still playing. Once he retired from playing football, he became a technical director and assistant coach atChina League Two sideSuzhou Trips. Fan became manager ofChina League One sideShanghai East Asia in 2010, but he was sacked at the end of the 2010 season. Between 2015 and 2018, Fan worked as the manager ofShanghai Shenhua youth team.[12]
China B[13]
Shanghai Shenhua[13]
Individual
| Year | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Running Man | episode – 283 |
| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Never Stop | 超越 | Himself |
| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Blossoms Shanghai | 繁花 | Lao Fan |
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | China national football team captain 1998–2000 | Succeeded by |
Awards | |||||||||
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