Full name Yang Chen Playing position Apps (Gls) Position Midfielder, Forward | Place of birth Beijing, China Years Team Height 1.85 m | |
Date of birth (1974-01-17) 17 January 1974 (age 43) Current team Guizhou Renhe F.C. (Coach) | ||
Yang Chen (simplified Chinese: 杨晨; traditional Chinese: 楊晨; pinyin: Yáng Chén; born 17 January 1974 in Beijing) is a former professional football player who is predominantly remembered for being the first Chinese player to play in the Fußball-Bundesliga and for representing the Chinese football team in the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
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Club career
Beginning his professional football career with Beijing Guoan he would gradually establish himself within their team during his time with them, however it was only once he had a short loan period with lower league German SV Waldhof Mannheim in 1998 did he show his potential as a striker. This saw Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt interested in him and were willing to make a transfer of 1,000,000 DEM for his services. Being the first Chinese footballer to play in the Bundesliga he would personally thrive within the league and score eight goals to helped the team to avoid relegation to 2. Bundesliga. Yang Chen would go on to be viewed as a trailblazer for Chinese footballers for his ability to score in one of the five major European football leagues and would personally go on to win the Chinese Footballer of the Year in 2000. While his time with Frankfurt was viewed as a success when new manager Felix Magath came in during the 2000–01 season Yang Chen did lose favour within the team and would have to fight back for his position before deciding to move to 2. Bundesliga team FC St. Pauli to ensure his place within the Chinese football team in preparation for the FIFA World Cup.
Yang Chen went back to his home country to play for Shenzhen Jianlibao where under the manager Zhu Guanghu his career would thrive once more and he would go on to win the 2004 Chinese Super League title. Once Zhu Guanghu left to take over the Chinese national team and Chi Shangbin came in to replace him Yang Chen and several other players immediately took a disliking to him. Throughout the 2005 league season there were numerous accusations between the management and the players. The club would decide to let the management go and several players including Yang Chen were sold off. He would go on to join Xiamen Lanshi until they disbanded in 2007 and he decided to retire.
In 2011, Jiangsu Sainty appoint Yang as an assistant coach.
In January 2015, Yang accepted the invitation of Beijing Enterprises and became the guidetrainer and an assistant coach.
International career
Yang Chen also played for China at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He is the Chinese player to have come closest to scoring in the World Cup when his volley ricocheted off the post in the 3–0 loss to Turkey in group stage.
International goals
Scores and results list China's goal tally first.Honours
Shenzhen Jianlibao