{{Short description|Chinese footballer and manager}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Zhang Xiaorui <br />张效瑞 | image = | fullname = Zhang Xiaorui | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1976|3|5}} | birth_place = [[Tianjin]], [[China]] | currentclub = | clubnumber = | height = {{height|m=1.77|precision=0}} | position = [[Midfielder]] | youthyears1 = 1993–1998 | youthclubs1 = [[Shenzhen F.C.|Jianlibao Youth]] | years1 = 1999–2004 | years2 = 2001 | years3 = 2005–2006 | years4 = 2007 | years5 = 2008 | clubs1 = [[Tianjin Jinmen Tiger F.C.|Tianjin Teda]] | clubs2 = → [[Alemannia Aachen]] (loan) | clubs3 = [[Shanghai United F.C.|Shanghai Zobon]] | clubs4 = [[Shanghai Shenhua F.C.|Shanghai Shenhua]] | clubs5 = [[Tianjin Tianhai F.C.|Tianjin Tuanbo New City]] | caps1 = 78 | caps2 = 5 | caps3 = 46 | caps4 = 6 | caps5 = 16 | goals1 = 7 | goals2 = 0 | goals3 = 6 | goals4 = 0 | goals5 = 2 | nationalyears1 = 1997 | nationalyears2 = 1997–2001 | nationalteam1 = [[China national under-20 football team|China U-20]] | nationalteam2 = [[China national football team|China]] | nationalcaps1 = | nationalcaps2 = 12 | nationalgoals1 = | nationalgoals2 = 1 | manageryears1 = 2008–2010 | managerclubs1 = [[Tianjin Tianhai F.C.|Tianjin Tuanbo New City]] | manageryears2 = 2012 | managerclubs2 = [[Tianjin Jinmen Tiger F.C.|Tianjin Teda U-19]] | manageryears3 = 2013 | managerclubs3 = [[Tianjin Tianhai F.C.|Tianjin Songjiang]] (caretaker) | manageryears4 = 2020 | managerclubs4 = [[Shenzhen F.C.|Shenzhen FC]] | manageryears5 = 2021 | managerclubs5 = [[Shenzhen F.C.|Shenzhen FC]] (caretaker) | manageryears6 = 2022 | managerclubs6 = [[Shenzhen F.C.|Shenzhen FC]] (caretaker) | manageryears7 = 2025 | managerclubs7 = [[Foshan Nanshi F.C.|Foshan Nanshi]] | manageryears8 = 2026– | managerclubs8 = [[Meizhou Hakka F.C.|Meizhou Hakka]] (caretaker) | pcupdate = 6 Feb 2012 | ntupdate = 6 Feb 2012 }}

{{Family name hatnote|Zhang|lang=Chinese}} '''Zhang Xiaorui''' ({{zh|s=张效瑞|t=張效瑞|p=Zhāng Xiàoruì}}; born March 5, 1976, in [[Tianjin]]) is a [[People's Republic of China|Chinese]] [[Football (soccer)|football]] [[Manager (football)|manager]] and a former professional player.

He used to play for [[Tianjin Teda F.C.|Tianjin Teda]], [[Alemannia Aachen]], [[Shanghai United F.C.|Shanghai Zobon]] and [[Shanghai Shenhua]]. His first management assignment was with third-tier club [[Tianjin Tianhai F.C.|Tianjin Tuanbo New City]] where he was initially brought in as a [[player-manager]] before leaving the club at the end of the 2009 Chinese league season.

==Club career==

===Early career=== Like many promising young Chinese players Zhang Xiaorui was selected for a national youth development initiative that sent players abroad to train in [[Brazil]] for a five-year training programme sponsored by [[Shenzhen Shangqingyin|Jianlibao]] and called the Chinese Jianlibao Youth Football Team. After graduating from the Jianlibao Youth Team, Zhang joined [[Tianjin Jinmen Tiger F.C.|Tianjin Teda]] to start his professional football career. He quickly established himself as a key member of the squad and was named Young Player of the Year at the conclusion of the 1999 league season.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sports.sina.com.cn/star/zhangxiaorui/index.shtml|title=姓名：张效瑞|publisher=sports.sina.com.cn|access-date=2012-09-29}}</ref>

===Alemannia Aachen=== He would attract the interests of [[Germany|German]] side [[Alemannia Aachen]] and play in the [[2. Fußball-Bundesliga]] during 2001 as part of a loan deal.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.national-football-teams.com/player/18419.html |title=Zhāng, Xiàoruì |website=National-Football-Teams.com |access-date=2012-09-29}}</ref> He, however found it difficult to establish himself within the team and would only make five league appearances before he returned to Tianjin Teda F.C. His return to China however saw his performances fluctuate due to injury the club allowed him to leave at the end of the 2004 league season.

===Move to Shanghai=== Attempting to resurrect his career he would join [[Shanghai United F.C.|Shanghai Zobon]] in 2005 where he showed some of the skill and consistency that was missing from his performances. By his next season with the club he had become an integral member of the team (now known as [[Shanghai United F.C.|Shanghai United]]) and help them to a mid-table finish. The 2007 league season, however saw [[Shanghai Shenhua]] merge with the club and Zhang Xiaorui would lose his place within the enlarged squad. In 2008, he was hired to be a [[player-manager]] of [[Chinese Football Association Yi League|Chinese Yi League]] club [[Tianjin Tianhai F.C.|Tianjin Tuanbo New City]], where he would gradually move away from playing before he would officially retire as a player in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sports.enorth.com.cn/system/2009/02/12/003892327.shtml|title=张效瑞：我将不再上场比赛 球队新赛季目标明确|publisher=sports.enorth.com.cn|date=2009-02-12|access-date=2012-09-29}}</ref>

==International career== Zhang Xiaorui was part of the [[Shenzhen Shangqingyin|Jianlibao Youth]] and [[China national under-20 football team|Chinese U-20 team]] that studied abroad and were fast-tracked by the Chinese Head coach [[Qi Wusheng]] who included him in the squad in a friendly against [[United States men's national soccer team|USA]] on January 29, 1997, in a game that China won 2-1.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://teamchina.freehostia.com/en/match.php?date=1997-01-29|title=China PR 2-1 USA|publisher=teamchina.freehostia.com|date=1997-01-29|access-date=2012-09-29}}</ref> After making his senior debut he would go on to play for the Chinese U-20 team that took part in the [[1997 FIFA World Youth Championship]] and once the tournament finished he was one of several players that would graduate from the Chinese Jianlibao Youth Football Team to the senior team along with [[Li Jinyu]], [[Li Tie]] and [[Sui Dongliang]]. He would go on to score his first goal against [[Bosnia-Herzegovina national football team|Bosnia-Herzegovina]] in a friendly on March 3, 1997, in a 3–0 win.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://teamchina.freehostia.com/en/match.php?date=1997-03-02|title=China PR 3-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina|publisher=teamchina.freehostia.com|date=1997-03-02|access-date=2012-09-29}}</ref> After playing in several [[FIFA World Cup qualification]] games he was dropped from the team after China did not qualify. After several years out being dropped from international football Zhang Xiaorui would return to the senior team when the new Chinese Head coach [[Bora Milutinović]] would include him in the squads that were playing friendlies in preparation for the [[2000 AFC Asian Cup]], however once these ended the manager decided not to call him into the squad anymore.

==Management career== In 2008 Zhang Xiaorui was hired to be a [[player-manager]] of [[Chinese Football Association Yi League|Chinese Yi League]] club [[Tianjin Tianhai F.C.|Tianjin Tuanbo New City]]. In his first season, he would guide the team to a second-place finish in the Southern Group and a place in the play-offs where they were unable to win promotion. He was sacked on 10 March 2010, with [[Belgium|Belgian]] manager [[Patrick De Wilde]] taking charge.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.sports.cn/china/chinab/news/2010-03-10/1984998.html|title=天津松江宣布比利时人德维尔德挂帅 张效瑞下课|publisher=news.sports.cn|date=2010-03-10|access-date=2012-09-29|archive-date=2012-03-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303052700/http://news.sports.cn/china/chinab/news/2010-03-10/1984998.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> In November 2010 Zhang would join [[Shenyang Shenbei F.C.|Tianjin Runyulong]] as the club's General manager and oversaw the club's takeover of second-tier football club [[Anhui Jiufang F.C.]] before leaving the club on January 5, 2012, to return to management with the [[Tianjin Jinmen Tiger F.C.|Tianjin Teda U-19]] team.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sports.sina.com.cn/j/2012-01-06/11155896515.shtml|title=旧将张效瑞重返天津泰达 将出任俱乐部U19队主教练|publisher=sports.sina.com.cn|date=2012-01-06|access-date=2012-09-29}}</ref>

On 17 October 2025, Zhang was appointed as the head coach of [[China League One]] club [[Foshan Nanshi F.C.|Foshan Nanshi]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.163.com/dy/article/KC3UV9P10556C687.html|title=10月17日佛山南狮官宣：张效瑞出任主教练，刘云飞任门将教练|publisher=163.com.cn|date=2025-10-17|access-date=2025-10-17}}</ref>

On 26 January 2026, Zhang was appointed as the general manager of [[China League One]] club [[Meizhou Hakka F.C.|Meizhou Hakka]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://m.dongqiudi.com/article/5633632.html|title=官方：张效瑞出任梅州客家总经理，莱蒂耶里担任主教练|publisher=dongqiudi|date=2026-01-26|access-date=2026-01-29}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[http://sports.sina.com.cn/star/zhangxiaorui/index.shtml Biography at Sina ] (Chinese) *{{NFT|18419}}

{{Chinese Football Association Young Player of the Year}} {{Tianjin Songjiang F.C. managers}} {{Shenzhen F.C. managers}} {{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhang, Xiaorui}} [[Category:1976 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Men's association football midfielders]] [[Category:Chinese men's footballers]] [[Category:Footballers from Tianjin]] [[Category:China men's international footballers]] [[Category:Chinese football managers]] [[Category:Tianjin Jinmen Tiger F.C. players]] [[Category:Chinese expatriate men's footballers]] [[Category:Alemannia Aachen players]] [[Category:Shanghai Shenhua F.C. players]] [[Category:Tianjin Tianhai F.C. players]] [[Category:Chinese football coaches]] [[Category:Chinese sports executives and administrators]] [[Category:20th-century Chinese sportsmen]]