{{short description|Chinese footballer}} {{family name hatnote|Cai|lang=Chinese}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Cai Huikang <br> 蔡慧康 | image = File:Cai Huikang, China PR national football team training in Tehran 01 (cropped).jpg | caption = | fullname = Cai Huikang | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1989|10|10|df=y}} | birth_place = Shanghai, China | height = {{height|m=1.83}} | position = Defensive midfielder | currentclub = | clubnumber = | youthyears1= 2000–2005 | youthclubs1= Genbao Football Academy | years1= 2006–2024 | clubs1= Shanghai Port | caps1 = 364 | goals1 = 11 | totalcaps = 364 | totalgoals = 11 | nationalyears1 = 2014–2019 | nationalteam1 = China | nationalcaps1 = 22 | nationalgoals1 = 0 | pcupdate = | ntupdate = | medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry | {{CHN}} }} {{MedalSport | Men's football}} {{MedalCompetition | EAFF Championship}} {{MedalSilver | 2015 China | Team}} {{MedalBronze | 2019 South Korea | Team}} }} {{Infobox Chinese |c={{linktext|蔡慧康}} |p=Cài Huìkāng |mi={{IPAc-cmn|c|ai|4|-|h|wei|4|-|k|ang|1}} }}
'''Cai Huikang''' ({{lang-zh|s=蔡慧康|p=Cài Huìkāng}}; born 10 October 1989) is a Chinese former footballer who played for Shanghai Port.
==Club career== Cai Huikang started his football career when he joined the Genbao Football Academy in 2000 and was promoted to Shanghai SIPG's (later to be renamed as Shanghai Port) first team during the 2006 season. He became a regular as Shanghai won promotion to the second tier in the 2007 season. He scored his first goal for the club on 18 April 2008 in a 1–1 draw against Beijing Hongdeng.<ref>[http://sports.163.com/08/0419/10/49SS1G8T00051C8L.html 职业生涯首球蔡慧康谢运气 叹球队没达理想结果] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612142705/http://sports.163.com/08/0419/10/49SS1G8T00051C8L.html |date=2018-06-12 }} at 163.com 2008-04-19 Retrieved 2013-02-22 {{in lang|zh}}</ref> He lost his starting role during the 2011 season and was linked with a move to Guangdong Sunray Cave at the end of the season.<ref>[http://sports.sohu.com/20130201/n365319611.shtml 东亚后腰组合经历人生低潮 感慨失去过才更珍惜] at sohu.com 2013-02-01 Retrieved 2013-02-22 {{in lang|zh}}</ref> Cai decided to stay at the club and appeared in 29 league matches in the 2012 season as Shanghai won the second-tier league title and was subsequently promoted to the top flight.
Cai would establish himself as a vital member of the team throughout the 2013 Chinese Super League campaign as the club finished in ninth while also gaining significant investment from Shanghai International Port.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sports.online.sh.cn/sports/gb/content/2012-12/28/content_5773578.htm|title=上港集团4000万冠名东亚 资金到位徐根宝信心满满|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130102012110/http://sports.online.sh.cn/sports/gb/content/2012-12/28/content_5773578.htm|archive-date=2 January 2013|website=eafc.online.sh.cn|date=28 December 2012|access-date=31 January 2013|language=zh}}</ref> He would go on to be an integral member of the team that would come runners-up within the 2015 Chinese Super League and qualification for the AFC Champions League for the first time in the clubs history.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesc/china2015.html|title=China 2015|publisher=rsssf.org|date=2018-08-02|access-date=2022-12-31}}</ref> He would go on to be a consistent presence within the team as he won the 2018 Chinese Super League title with the club.<ref name="2018 CSL">{{cite news|url=http://www.thecfa.cn/zyls1/20181108/25566.html|title=上海上港夺中超首冠 纪录夜翻开历史新篇章|publisher=Thecfa.cn|date=2018-11-08|access-date=2020-07-30|language=zh}}</ref>
In 2025, Cai became the assistant coach of Shanghai U15 team.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1832712956380513419&wfr=spider&for=pc|title=蔡慧康担任U15助教！“希望能够帮助这批小球员的成长”|publisher=baidu.com|date=2025-05-21|access-date=2025-05-21|language=zh}}</ref>
==International career== Cai made his debut for the Chinese national team on 18 June 2014 in a 2–0 win against Macedonia.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/sports/2014-06/18/c_126638831.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140803043054/http://news.xinhuanet.com/sports/2014-06/18/c_126638831.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 3, 2014|title=热身赛-佩兰首秀于汉超高迪破门 国足2-0马其顿|publisher=xinhuanet.com|date=18 June 2014|accessdate=18 June 2014}}</ref>
==Career statistics== ===Club=== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" |+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition<ref>[http://www.sodasoccer.com/search/player/86/171480/2CB90FF410D427BB.shtml 蔡慧康] at sodasoccer.com. Retrieved 2015-11-01 {{in lang|zh}} {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330154652/http://www.sodasoccer.com/search/player/86/171480/2CB90FF410D427BB.shtml |date=2019-03-30}}</ref> |- !rowspan="2"|Club !rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="3"|League !colspan="2"|National Cup !colspan="2"|Continental !colspan="2"|Other !colspan="2"|Total |- !Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals |- |rowspan=20|Shanghai SIPG/<br>Shanghai Port||2006||rowspan="2"|China League Two|| || ||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-|| || |- |2007|| || ||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-|| || |- |2008||rowspan="5"|China League One||22||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||22||1 |- |2009||23||2||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||23||2 |- |2010||20||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||20||0 |- |2011||16||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||17||0 |- |2012||29||1||2||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||31||1 |- |2013||rowspan=12|Chinese Super League||30||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||30||0 |- |2014||27||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||27||0 |- |2015||27||1||2||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||29||1 |- |2016||27||1||2||0||9||0||colspan="2"|-||38||1 |- |2017||28||0||7||0||12||0||colspan="2"|-||47||0 |- |2018||27||2||4||1||8||0||colspan="2"|-||39||3 |- |2019||26||2||2||0||9||0||1{{efn|name=CFASC|Appearances in Chinese FA Super Cup}}||0||38||2 |- |2020||8||0||0||0||4||1||colspan="2"|-||12||1 |- |2021||1||0||1||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||2||0 |- |2022||24||1||3||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||27||1 |- |2023||25||0||2||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||28||0 |- |2024||4||0||1||0||0||0||0||0||5||0 |- ! colspan=2 | Total !364||11||27||1||43||1||1||0||435||13 |- ! colspan=3 | Career total !364||11||27||1||43||1||1||0||435||13 |} {{notelist}}
===International=== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |- ! colspan=3 | National team |- !Year!!Apps!!Goals |- |2014||7||0 |- |2015||9||0 |- |2016||2||0 |- |2017||2||0 |- |2018||1||0 |- |2019||1||0 |- !Total||22||0 |}
==Honours== '''Shanghai Port''' *Chinese Super League: 2018,<ref name="2018 CSL"/> 2023, 2024 *Chinese FA Cup: 2024 *China League One: 2012<ref>{{cite news|url=http://sports.sina.com.cn/b/2012-10-28/17525985375.shtml|title=中甲积分榜:上海夺冠卓尔获亚军 东进八喜降级|work=sports.sina.com.cn|date=2012-10-28| accessdate=2019-08-06}}</ref> *China League Two: 2007 *Chinese FA Super Cup: 2019<ref>{{cite news|url=http://sports.sina.com.cn/china/j/2019-02-23/doc-ihqfskcp7959400.shtml|title=超级杯-王燊超传射侯永永首秀 上港2-0胜国安夺冠|publisher=Sports.sina.com.cn|date=2019-02-23|accessdate=2020-07-30|language=zh}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{NFT player|id=56111}} * {{Soccerway|287419}}
{{Shanghai East Asia F.C. Squad}} {{China squad 2015 AFC Asian Cup}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cai, Huikang}} Category:1989 births Category:Living people Category:Chinese men's footballers Category:Footballers from Shanghai Category:Shanghai Port F.C. players Category:Men's association football midfielders Category:China men's international footballers Category:21st-century Chinese sportsmen Category:2015 AFC Asian Cup players Category:Chinese Super League players Category:China League One players Category:China League Two players