Full name Yang Zhi Name Yang Zhi Playing position Role Footballer | Number 22 Height 1.86 m Weight 79 kg | |
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Date of birth (1983-01-15) 15 January 1983 (age 32) Current teams Beijing Guoan F.C. (#22 / Goalkeeper), China national football team (Goalkeeper) | ||
Yang Zhi (Chinese: 杨智; pinyin: Yáng Zhì; born 15 January 1983) is a Chinese footballer who currently plays for Beijing Guoan in the Chinese Super League.
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Club career
Yang Zhi started his football career at second tier side Guangdong Xiongying after graduating from their youth academy. He quickly established himself within the squad in the 2002 season with Guangdong, playing in 26 league games. The following season he would play in a further 22 league games for Guangdong and help take them to a tenth-place finish.
Yang's performances caught the eye of Chinese Super League side Beijing Guoan and he soon transferred to the club at the start of the 2005 season where he once again quickly established himself as the first-choice goalkeeper, playing in 21 league games in his debut season. The following seasons saw him become an integral member of the squad; and by the 2009 league season, he had aided them to win the top tier title. Right before the start of the 2012 season, Yang sustained an injury when he played for his hometown Guangdong in the 2012 Guangdong-Hong Kong Cup and was out for most of the season. He recovered in time to return and regain his starting role as goalkeeper for Beijing during the 2013 season.
International career
Yang made his debut for the Chinese national team on 10 August 2006 in a 4-0 win against Thailand, coming on as a substitute for Li Leilei. He would later make his competitive debut the following year on 28 October 2007 in a 1-0 win against Myanmar during 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification. However, it was not until the introduction of then manager Gao Hongbo that saw Yang promoted to first-choice goalkeeper when he named him in his first game on 29 May 2009 in a 1-1 draw against Germany.
Club statistics
As of 22 September 2017Club
Beijing Guoan
International
China PR national football team