 | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Xu Deshuai | |||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1987-07-13)13 July 1987 (age 38) | |||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Dalian,Liaoning, China | |||||||||||||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | |||||||||||||
| Position | Winger | |||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | Dalian Shide | |||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||
| 2004–2008 | Dalian Shide | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2005–2008 | →Citizen (loan) | 31 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | Citizen | 37 | (8) | |||||||||||
| 2010–2012 | South China | 26 | (4) | |||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Pegasus | 17 | (2) | |||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Kitchee | 22 | (8) | |||||||||||
| 2015–2020 | Eastern | 50 | (3) | |||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | China U19 | 3 | (1) | |||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | Hong Kong U23 | 8 | (1) | |||||||||||
| 2008–2019 | Hong Kong | 39 | (4) | |||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 1 June 2020 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 10 October 2019 | ||||||||||||||
| Xu Deshuai | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 徐德帥 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 徐德帅 | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Vietnamese name | |||||||||||
| Vietnamese | Từ Đức Soái | ||||||||||
Xu Deshuai (Chinese:徐德帥;pinyin:Xú Déshuài; born 13 July 1987) is a former professionalfootballer who played as awinger. Born in China, he representedHong Kong on the international level. He was a member of theHong Kong East Asian Games football team in 2009 who won theEast Asian Gamesgold medal.
Xu wears number 8 forChina U-19,Citizen, Hong Kong,Hong Kong U-23,South China andPegasus. Because of this, Hong Kong football fans commonly useXu 8 as a nickname for him.
Xu was born on(1987-07-13)13 July 1987 inDalian, China. He is the only child in his family.[1] His mother was a primary school teacher but Xu hated to study. Thus, he left school after secondary education in Dalian to switch toDalian Shide's youth academy under his mother's oppositional idea.[2] His mother abandoned interference after the school teacher had told her that Xu has potential in football, so her mother support his football career very much after that.[1]
Xu began his football career atDalian withDalian Shide's youth academy. His potential was quickly identified by the First team in 2004.[3] For Xu's first senior season in China, he was only named in the substitutes list for two matches and made no appearances. The two games he was listed on the substitutes list were in November 2004; the match againstShanghai Shenhua on 11 November, and againstTianjin Teda on 24 November.[4] He was sent to the field in the match, which held on 11 November, on the 91st-minute.[5] He came off the bench at the last moment of the game so the report did not show that.[6]
Since Dalian Shide andCitizen organised a project, Dalian Shide sent some youth players to Citizen. In 2005, Xu was sent to Hong Kong, with other teammates such asChao Pengfei andJu Yingzhi.[7]
He was called up by Dalian Shide U19 for the2006 China U19 Champions Cup, and the team won the championship.[8] After the tournament, he returned to Hong Kong side Citizen again withWang Xuanhong.[3]
Xu made his debut in Hong Kong in the2005–06 season. His first domestic league match was on 15 October againstKitchee.[9] He came on in the 71st-minute as a substitute forSo Yiu Man in a 3–0 away defeat.[9] He expressed disappointment about always being used as a substitute.[10] He went back to Dalian over the summer where he made five appearances.[9]
In the2007–08 season, Xu established himself as a regular first-team player, making 15 appearances in 18 league matches.[11] He helped Citizen to win the2007–08 Hong Kong FA Cup; during which he appeared in every game.[12] This was the first top-level domestic cup won by Citizen since the club's founding in 1947. This earned him an official transfer to Citizen in the summer of 2008.
Xu was appointed as one of thevice-captains of Citizen in 2008. He started two matches as captain in the2008–09 season.[13] Xu scored both his first and second senior career goal in the match againstHong Kong Sheffield United on 2 May 2009.[13] He finished the season with 7 goals in 23 matches.[13] He was named2009 Hong Kong Top Footballers of the Year.[14]
Despite many transfer rumours regarding Xu in the winter of 2009, Citizen football department directorPui Ho Wang said that Xu is a "not-for-sale item" at the club.[15]
In aSenior Shield match onBoxing Day in 2009, Xu andFung Kai Hong verbally abused the refereeGary Wong Po On after a controversial decision.[16] He was subsequently banned for four club matches from 12 January 2010.[16][17] Xu returned in the league match againstSun Hei on 12 March 2010, coming on as a substitute at the 64th-minute for Citizen teammateWong Yiu Fu and scored a goal during second half injury time.[18]
Xu was namedHong Kong Top Footballers of the Year again after the 2009–10 season.[19] In the ceremony, chairman ofSouth ChinaSteven Lo said Xu became a member of his team in the 2010–11 season.[20]
Xu signed withSouth China on 1 June 2010 since he believed it is a suitable time for him to start a new career in a big club like South China at 22 years of age.[21][22] He want to get more honours in South China and he takes theAFC Cup as his first target in club.[20][21][22] His first official match for South China was aleague match on 4 September 2010.[23] Xu was the starting player in the game as South China inflicted a 2–0 defeat over his former club Citizen.[23]
The league match againstSun Hei on 18 September 2010 is the 100th official match of Xu's career. In the match, he took a corner kick which was converted into the first goal byChan Siu Ki.[24] In the end, South China defeated Sun Hei by 2–1 and moved to the top of league table.[24][25]
After the2010 Asian Games, Xu returned to the club but he played in a new roledeep-lying playmaker to spare the right-winger position forLee Wai Lim. In the league match againstKitchee on 11 December 2010, Xu was sent off for a challenge onJordi Tarrés.[26] South China lost the game by 3–4 and suffered its first defeat ofthe 2010–11 season.[26] Xu was blamed by the fans after the match.
2010–11 Hong Kong Senior Challenge Shield semi-final matches held at Christmas in 2010 and one of two is the first game of Xu after suspension. He was the starting player of the team in the semi-final match against Sun Hei.[27] He delivered a corner toBai He at 51 minutes and Bai He headed in the goal.[28] South China advanced to the final after the 3–0 victory.[27][28]
In aLeague Cup quarter-final match on 9 January 2011, Xu scored in the 10th minute by a pass fromLau Nim Yat. Unluckily, Xu was injured and substituted at the 42-minute.[29] So, he missedthe final of Senior Challenge Shield.[30] Furthermore, South China lost the final bypenalty shootout to his former club Citizen.[31]
Two months later, Xu made his league debut after injury on 31 March in a 3–1 defeat to former club Citizen.[32][33] In the match, Xu scored at the 78-minute after coming on as a substitute just 7 minutes before.[34] Caretaker coach of South ChinaChan Ho Yin said Xu's recovery could raise the competitiveness of the team and it was a piece of good news beforeHong Kong derby.[33] However, South China lost the derby by 2 goals on 3 April even though Xu came on the field at the 32-minute.[35]
South China has wonLeague Cup andFA Cup in the season, but failed in2012 AFC Cup qualifying.[36] Xu played over 800 minutes in league match, less than last season in Citizen, and scored 4 goals.
New coachJán Kocian appointed Xu as abox-to-box midfielder and played as one ofplaymakers with captainLi Haiqiang but he could not have a good performance.[37][38] After a downturn of South China, Xu returned to play as a right winger and he scored in theshield match which defeatedSham Shui Po. Ironically, Xu had a mistake which causeFong Pak Lun scored at the 78-minute in this game.[39] In a league game againstTai Po on 3 December 2011, Xu scored by an assist made byChan Siu Ki and made an assist for Chan Siu Ki. It led South China to win the game by 3 goals.[40]
InLunar New Year, South China held a friendly four-team mid-season tournament2012 Asian Challenge Cup and Xu played both the semi-final and third-place match in the event. However, South China got the fourth place.[41]
In the following days of the season, South China was eliminated in2011–12 Hong Kong League Cup and2011–12 Hong Kong FA Cup, also byKitchee.[42][43] For the2011–12 Hong Kong First Division League, Xu finished his second season with South China as 3rd place in the league and failed in2013 AFC Cup qualifying again.[44] As the result, Xu left from South China after the season.
TSW Pegasus reformed after the 2011–12 season and was renamed as Sun Pegasus. Xu had agreed terms with the Pegasus for his transfer and the coachChan Chi Hong claimed that Xu would be a leader of the team even though he is just a young player.[45]
In the team, Xu had more opportunities in his habitual position, the right midfield, so his performance became better much.[46] However, Pegasus ranked the 8th in the league table of thefirst division after week 9, the mid of the season. Xu scored the 1–1 equaliser in a league match againstSouthern on 19 January 2013 and earned a valuable point in their race to once again escape from First Division League relegation.[47] Pegasus made consecutive games undefeated after this match.[48]
Before theNew Territoriesderby inFA Cup againstTai Po, somemedia in Hong Kong believe Xu would be the Pegasus's key to winning the match.[46] As expected, Xu scored the only goal in the 77th minute of the 1st leg FA Cup match.[49] Pegasus finally beat Tai Po and advanced to the final of the FA Cup.
Xu joinedKitchee from fellow First Division clubPegasus for an undisclosed fee on 30 May 2013, since Kitchee qualified for2013 AFC Cupquarter-finals and the team would strengthen their squad with local player.[50]
Xu joinedEastern in the summer of 2015.
On 1 June 2020, Xu left when his contract expired with the club and subsequently he retired from professional football.
Jia Xiuquan was appointed as head coach of China's national youth football team for preparing2008 Olympic Games and he started his planning after2005 FIFA World Youth Championship. He selected Xu for the training section for a four-nation mini-tournamentGrand Royal Challenge Cup in Burma in 2005.[51] However, he did not go to Burma for the tournament.[51]
Xu was called up by the China national under-19 football team between 11 and 15 April 2006 for a four-nation mini-tournament24th Torneio International do Porto in Portugal. He scored a goal in the match againstPortugal.[52][53]
Xu also was called up to China's U-19 squad for the game againstJapan's U-20 national team on 26 April 2006,[54] but he did not enter the match.[55]
Although Xu was born inMainland China, he played in Hong Kong continuously for two years he is eligible for theHong Kong national football team. He was selected byGoran Paulić andDejan Antonić for the Hong Kong team at the end of 2008, to prepare for2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification.[56] His international debut for Hong Kong was a friendly againstMacau where Hong Kong achieved a 9–1 win.[57]
He starred in the2009 Guangdong–Hong Kong Cup, scoring his first goal for Hong Kong by adirect free kick to help Hong Kong secure a 4–1 victory at home and a 5–4 aggregate win over theGuangdong representative team.[58]
Xu missed the2010 East Asian Football Championship semi-final competition because new Hong Kong head coachKim Pan-Gon, manager ofSouth China selected only South China players at the Hong Kong Football Association's invitation. This aroused discontent by Hong Kong supporters but did not result in any change in the composition of the squad.[59][60]
Kim Pan-Gon selected Xu for two AFC Asian Cup qualifying matches againstJapan in October and November 2009. However, he did not appear in either match and Hong Kong lost by 10 goals to zero in these two matches. In January 2010, he missed the AFC Asian Cup qualifying matches again due to hisChinese passport requiring a visa to enterBahrain immigration.[61] Hong Kong lost the game againstBahrain by 4 goals.[61]
Xu was selected byYan Lik Kin for the2010 Guangdong–Hong Kong Cup. Xu's corner kick assistedJulius Akosah to score the first goal in the first leg. Hong Kong won the first leg 2:1. In the second leg Hong Kong experienced difficulty with Xu missing the match due to illness and Akosah being sent off with a red card during the match. Hong Kong subsequently lost the match 0:2.[62]
Xu was also a member of the Hong Kong squad for the2010 East Asian Football Championship final competition because of his performance in the2009 East Asian Games.[63] Nevertheless, Xu didn't start in the first game againstSouth Korea and came on to the field on the 85th-minute after Hong Kong had already given up four goals.[64][65] He played in the starting line-up in the second game against Japan. Xu hit a dangerous-looking direct free kick caught bySeigo Narazaki in second half.[66] Hong Kong also lost by 3 goals.[67] He wasted a scoring opportunity during first half of the game againstChina.[68]
Hong Kong team had recondition before2010–11 season and Hong Kong coachTsang Wai Chung selected Xu for the training session.[69] He missed friendly againstIndia since was selected for2010 Long Teng Cup inKaohsiung, Taiwan.
TheHong Kong Football Association entered the Hong Kong team in theLong Teng Cup organised byChinese Taipei Football Association to prepare for the Asian Games. Xu was selected as a member of the squad.[70] The first match for Hong Kong was againstPhilippines national football team, but heavy rain caused the game to be abandoned.[71] Xu scored the second goal of the match in the re-match played on 9 October 2010.[72] He scored a goal again in the next game againstMacau national football team on 10 October 2010.[73] He also played in the last match of the tournament and Hong Kong drew withChinese Taipei national football team. Hong Kong became the first winner of the Long Teng Cup.[74]
At the end of the season, Xu was recalled for the friendly against Malaysia inSiu Sai Wan Sports Ground,[75] but he left the team due to injury.[76]
After a year of leave, Xu went back to the Hong Kong team for2012 Guangdong-Hong Kong Cup. He was a start-up player in the 1st leg game on 28 December 2011 but he was tightly marked by Cantonese and did not make any score or assist.[77] Caretaker coachLiu Chun Fai let fast-speedJaimes McKee take the place of Xu in the 2nd leg.[78] In the match, anything cannot be changed and Hong Kong still drew withGuangdong team. Xu came off the bench in the 61st minute and Hong Kong won bypenalty shoot-out.[79]
Having stepped down as a South China player in this season, Xu was dropped completely from the Hong Kong national team and selected by new coachErnie Merrick. Merrick claimed that he was looking to go in a different direction with the team, although Merrick eventually opted to employ strikerJaimes McKee on the right side.
On 16 March 2013, Kim Pan-Gon announced that Xu would be recalled to the Hong Kong squad for the2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification againstVietnam.[80] In the match, Xu was sent to the patch in the 58th minute. He made some cross passes and long-range shots during the game but did not create any change and Hong Kong won the Vietnam team by one goal.[81]
In the Hong Kong team training session beforefriendly match againstPhilippines on 7 June 2013, Kim Pan-Gon explained the wedding of Xu was the reason that Xu was not in the squad, and he would be an important member of Hong Kong team in Asian Cup qualification.[82]
Since Xu was 22 years old in 2009,Hong Kong East Asian Games football team coachKim Pan-Gon selected him for the2009 East Asian Games. On 4 December 2009, he scored a goal to cap a historic 4–1 victory overKorea Republic.[83][84] He had a wonderful performance in the semi-final match againstKorea DPR on 10 December.[85] In the final, Xu made an assist forChan Siu Ki to score in the second half. The goal gave the team a 1–1 draw and subsequently Hong Kong defeatedJapan 4–2 in apenalty shootout.[86][87] The tournament was won byHong Kong, who claimed their first international football tournament title.[87]
In September 2010,Hong Kong Asian Games football team was formed byTsang Wai Chung for2010 Asian Games. Xu was one of the members of the last 20 players for the Asian Games.[88] He played all the 90 minutes in the first game of the tournament drew withUnited Arab Emirates on 7 November 2010.[89][90] In the second game wonUzbekistan on 9 November, Xu had highest number of shoots of the Hong Kong and made the corner before winning goal.[91][92] He made an assist forAu Yeung Yiu Chung in first half of the last group stage match againstBangladesh on 11 November 2010.[93][94][95] Bangladesh lose the game by 4–1 and Hong Kong advanced to the knockout stage.[93][95][96] This is the first time that Hong Kong qualified to the knockout stage in 52 years.[94][95]
Hong Kong national football team were invited byOlympic Committee of Hong Kong to stand for Hong Kong in boat parade event named Setting Sail inopening ceremony.[97] Coach Tsang selected captainChan Wai Ho, vice-captainLee Chi Ho, Xu and other 5 members to the boat.[98] Nevertheless, Hong Kong was losing by 3–0 toOman later and failed to reach the quarter-finals.[99][100] Hong Kong team changed the form from defensive to offensive but right-winger Xu and left-wingerChan Man Fai were marked successfully by Omani in the match.[100]
| Club performance | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| China PR | League | FA Cup | CSL Cup | Asia | Total | |||||||
| 2004 | Dalian Shide | Super League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | |||
| Hong Kong | League | FA Cup &Shield | LC &Play-off | Asia | Total | |||||||
| 2005–06 | Citizen | First Division | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | - | 10 | 0 | |
| 2006–07 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | - | 17 | 0 | |||
| 2007–08 | 15 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | - | 23 | 0 | |||
| 2008–09 | 22 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | - | 28 | 7 | |||
| 2009–10 | 15 | 3 | 5 | 0 | - | - | 20 | 3 | ||||
| 2010–11 | South China | First Division | 12 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 21 | 4 |
| 2011–12 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | 19 | 4 | |||
| 2012–13 | Pegasus | First Division | 17 | 2 | 6 | 1 | - | - | 23 | 3 | ||
| 2013–14 | Kitchee | First Division | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 7 | 1 | 16 | 1 | |
| 2014–15 | Premier League | 8 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 15 | 7 | |
| Total | China PR | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Hong Kong | 128 | 19 | 29 | 5 | 19 | 1 | 16 | 4 | 192 | 29 | ||
| Career total | 128 | 19 | 29 | 5 | 19 | 1 | 16 | 4 | 192 | 29 | ||
| China U-19 appearances and goals | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Result | Scored | Competition |
| 2006 | ||||||
| 1[52][101] | 12 April 2006 | Estádio do Rio Ave,Vila do Conde, Portugal |  Portugal | 1–5 | 1 | 24th Torneio International do Porto |
| 2[102][103] | 13 April 2006 | Complexo Desportivo de Azevido,Rebordosa, Portugal |  Canada | 0–0 | 0 | 24th Torneio International do Porto |
| 3[104][105] | 15 April 2006 | Estádio do Leça FC,Leça da Palmeira, Portugal |  Norway | 1–2 | 0 | 24th Torneio International do Porto |
| Hong Kong U-23 appearances and goals | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Result | Scored | Competition |
| 2009–10 | ||||||
| 1 | 4 December 2009 | Siu Sai Wan Sports Ground, Hong Kong |  South Korea | 4–1 | 1 | 2009 East Asian Games |
| 2 | 8 December 2009 | Siu Sai Wan Sports Ground, Hong Kong |  China | 0–1 | 0 | 2009 East Asian Games |
| 3 | 10 December 2009 | Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong |  North Korea | 1–1 (4–2PSO) | 0 | 2009 East Asian Games |
| 4 | 12 December 2009 | Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong |  Japan | 1–1 (4–2PSO) | 0 | 2009 East Asian Games |
| 2010–11 | ||||||
| 5 | 7 November 2010 | Huadu Stadium,Guangzhou, China |  United Arab Emirates | 1–1 | 0 | 2010 Asian Games |
| 6 | 9 November 2010 | Huadu Stadium,Guangzhou, China |  Uzbekistan | 1–0 | 0 | 2010 Asian Games |
| 7 | 11 November 2010 | Huadu Stadium,Guangzhou, China |  Bangladesh | 4–1 | 0 | 2010 Asian Games |
| 8 | 15 November 2010 | Huangpu Sports Center,Guangzhou, China |  Oman | 0–3 | 0 | 2010 Asian Games |
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong | 2008 | 1 | 0 |
| 2009 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 7 | 2 | |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2015 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2016 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 39 | 4 | |
Xu met his wife inDalian and their wedding was held in June 2013.[1][82] She was a student of theHong Kong Institute of Education when he was playing forCitizen andSouth China.[2]Mahjong is the most interest of Xu. Xu's parents live in Dalian.[1] He lived inWan Chai onHong Kong Island withChao Pengfei andJu Yingzhi before he started playing for South China.[2] He always played Mahjong with his friends after they came to Hong Kong.[1] Xu lived with his wife inKowloon since he played forSouth China.[1]
Xu cannot speak eitherCantonese or English and he can only speak inPutonghua. For this, he said it is not a problem in Hong Kong because most ofHong Kong people understand Putonghua and his teammates translate Putonghua to English for his coaches, such asKim Pan-Gon. He said that he loves Hong Kong for its good surroundings and for allowing him to play football.[1][2][119][120]
