Zhang Xizhe

{{short description|Chinese footballer}} {{family name hatnote|Zhang|lang=Chinese}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Zhang Xizhe <br> 张稀哲 | fullname = Zhang Xizhe | image = File:Zhang Xizhe 2025-06-14 (cropped).jpg | caption = Zhang Xizhe in June 2025 | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1991|1|23|df=y}} | birth_place = Wuhan, Hubei, China | height = {{height|m=1.80}} | position = Attacking midfielder | currentclub = Beijing Guoan | clubnumber = 10 | youthyears1 = 1998–2004 | youthclubs1 = Qinhuangdao Football School | youthyears2 = 2005–2006 | youthclubs2 = Beijing Black Horse | youthyears3 = 2006–2009 | youthclubs3 = Beijing Guoan | years1 = 2009–2014 | years2 = 2010 | years3 = 2015 | years4 = 2015– | clubs1 = Beijing Guoan | clubs2 = → Beijing Guoan Talent (loan) | clubs3 = VfL Wolfsburg | clubs4 = Beijing Guoan | caps1 = 122 | goals1 = 24 | caps2 = 5 | goals2 = 2 | caps3 = 0 | goals3 = 0 | caps4 = 217 | goals4 = 34 | nationalyears1 = 2009–2010 | nationalyears2 = 2012–2013 | nationalyears3 = 2011–2022 | nationalteam1 = China U-20 | nationalteam2 = China U-23 | nationalteam3 = China | nationalcaps1 = 9 | nationalgoals1 = 2 | nationalcaps2 = 7 | nationalgoals2 = 2 | nationalcaps3 = 37 | nationalgoals3 = 7 | pcupdate = 26 August 2025 | ntupdate = 29 March 2022 | medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry | {{CHN}} }} {{MedalSport | Men's football}} {{MedalCompetition | EAFF Championship}} {{MedalSilver | 2013 South Korea | Team}} {{MedalBronze | 2019 South Korea | Team}} }}

'''Zhang Xizhe''' ({{zh|s=张稀哲|p=Zhāng Xīzhé}}; {{small|Mandarin pronunciation:}} {{IPAc-cmn|zh|ang|1|.|x|i|1|-|zh|e|2|}}; born 23 January 1991) is a Chinese professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Chinese Super League club Beijing Guoan.

==Club career==

=== Beijing Guoan === Zhang Xizhe started his football career with Beijing Guoan when he made his debut for the club on 30 August 2009 in a 1–1 draw against Shandong Luneng.<ref>[http://sports.163.com/09/0831/00/5I0M80TL00051C89.html 张稀哲首秀险些破门 罗宁力挺之人内定接班陶队] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190927162142/http://sports.163.com/09/0831/00/5I0M80TL00051C89.html |date=27 September 2019 }} at sports.163.com 2009-08-31 Retrieved 2012-09-19 {{in lang|zh}}</ref> He was then loaned to S.League side Beijing Guoan Talent during the 2010 season.<ref>[http://sports.sohu.com/20100301/n270477060.shtml 国安四小天鹅无缘中超联赛 转战新加坡联赛锻炼] at sports.sohu.com 2010-03-01 Retrieved 2012-09-19 {{in lang|zh}}</ref> He made his debut and scored his first goal for the club on 12 March 2010 in a 3–1 win against Geylang United.<ref>[https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2010/03/12/singapore/sleague/geylang-united-fc/beijing-guoan-fc-singapore/904463/ Geylang United vs. Beijing Guoan S 1-3] at soccerway.com 12 March 2010 Retrieved 2012-09-19</ref> He returned to Beijing in July 2010 and scored his first goal for the club on 22 August 2010 in a 2–2 draw against Henan Jianye.<ref>[http://sports.sina.com.cn/j/2010-08-22/21215161565.shtml 19岁新星梅开二度轰世界波 北京连丢2球2-2平河南] at sports.sina.com.cn 2010-08-22 Retrieved 2012-09-19 {{in lang|zh}}</ref> As he grew in experience, he was awarded the Chinese Football Association Young Player of the Year award in the 2012 season. The 2013 season was Zhang's breakout season for Beijing, scoring eleven goals and assisting twelve goals in thirty league games.

=== VfL Wolfsburg === On 16 December 2014, Zhang transferred to Bundesliga side VfL Wolfsburg after yet another successful season for Beijing.<ref name="SkySports">{{cite news|url=http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11095/9608642/bundesliga-wolfsburg-signing-zhang-xizhe-gains-50-million-tv-audience-in-china|title=Bundesliga: Wolfsburg signing Zhang Xizhe gains 50 million TV audience in China|work=Sky Sports|access-date=29 January 2015|date=16 December 2014}}</ref><ref>[http://www.bundesliga.de/de/liga/news/2014/xizhe-zhang-beim-vfl-wolfsburg-vorgestellt.php XIZHE ZHANG BEIM VFL WOLFSBURG VORGESTELLT] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217210406/http://www.bundesliga.de/de/liga/news/2014/xizhe-zhang-beim-vfl-wolfsburg-vorgestellt.php |date=17 December 2014 }} at bundesliga.de 2014-12-16 Retrieved 2013-12-30 {{in lang|zh}}</ref> Zhang made his unofficial debut for Wolfsburg during a winter training camp on 14 January 2015 as he came off the bench to assist Bas Dost's second goal in a 4–1 win against Ajax Cape Town.<ref name="Debut">{{cite news|url=http://www.bundesliga.com/en/liga/news/2014/0000311051.php|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150129222213/http://www.bundesliga.com/en/liga/news/2014/0000311051.php|url-status=dead|archive-date=29 January 2015|title=ZHANG MAKES CONVINCING DEBUT IN WOLFSBURG FRIENDLY WIN|work=Bundesliga|access-date=29 January 2015|date=14 January 2015}}</ref> Even though he made the matchday squad for several matches, Zhang failed to make a single appearance for Wolfsburg during his time with the club.

=== Return to Beijing Guoan === On 15 July 2015, Zhang returned to Chinese Super League side Beijing Guoan after just six months with VfL Wolfsburg.<ref>{{cite news|title=Wolfsburg's Zhang heads back to China|url=http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/wolfsburgs-zhang-heads-back-china|work=15 July 2015}}</ref> He made his return debut for the club on 20 July 2015 in a 0–0 draw against Shanghai SIPG. He scored his first goal for the club since his return on 20 September 2015 in a 1–0 win against Jiangsu Sainty. On 25 October 2017, Zhang was sent off during a league match against Chongqing Dangdai Lifan for slapping Chen Lei in the face.<ref>{{cite web|title=惊呆!张稀哲扇对手耳光染红 力帆大将也2黄变1红|url=http://sports.sina.com.cn/china/j/2017-10-25/doc-ifymzzpw2359668.shtml|publisher=Sina|date=25 October 2017|access-date=19 April 2018}}</ref> On 3 November 2017, he was handed a twelve-match suspension in the league by the Chinese Football Association.<ref>{{cite web|title=重磅罚单！张稀哲因扇对手耳光被禁赛12场|url=http://sports.sina.com.cn/china/j/2017-11-03/doc-ifynnnsc4660900.shtml|publisher=Sina|date=3 November 2017|access-date=19 April 2018}}</ref> After serving his suspension the following season he would win the 2018 Chinese FA Cup with Guoan, the club's first major trophy in 9 years, where he scored the decisive goal in the second leg of the final against Shandong Luneng to give Guoan a 2–1 lead in an eventual 2-2 draw, aggregated score across 2 legs was 3-3 and Guoan won on away goals.<ref name="CFA 2018">{{cite news|url=http://sports.sina.com.cn/china/cfacup/2018-11-30/doc-ihmutuec5131375.shtml|title=足协杯-比埃拉建功张稀哲斩杀 国安客场2-2夺冠|publisher=sports.sina.com.cn|date=2018-11-30|accessdate=2019-08-13}}</ref>

On 24 November 2020, Zhang made his 300th appearance for Guoan in a 3–1 win against Melbourne Victory in the 2020 AFC Champions League group stage.

Zhang made his 400th appearance for Guoan on 21 May 2025 in a 4–0 victory against Shijiazhuang Gongfu in the 2025 Chinese FA Cup. In the 57th minute of the match, Zhang Xizhe scored from a direct free kick.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2025-05-21 |title=战报 {{!}} 张稀哲400场里程碑+任意球破门 北京国安5-0石家庄功夫 |url=https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20250521A0A0M800 |access-date=2025-05-22 |website=news.qq.com |language=zh-CN}}</ref> He became only the third player to appear in 400 games across all competitions for Guoan, after Xu Yunlong and Yang Zhi. Guoan fans celebrated his 400th appearance in the next home league game on 14 June 2025, holding up a massive tifo in Workers' Stadium ahead of kickoff. He captained the side in the match and scored in the 11th minute in a 2–1 win against Changchun Yatai.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sun |first=Haiguang |date=2025-06-14 |editor-last=Bai |editor-first=Shuang |editor2-last=Fu |editor2-first=Chunyin |title=致敬张稀哲里程碑一战，工人体育场打出巨型TIFO |trans-title=Commemorating Zhang Xizhe Milestone, Workers' Stadium Displays Massive Tifo |url=https://finance.sina.com.cn/tech/roll/2025-06-14/doc-infaaiaa2810909.shtml |access-date=2025-06-14 |website=Sina Sports |language=zh-hans}}</ref>

{{multiple image | width = 170 | image1 = Zhang Xizhe tifo 2025-06-14 (1).jpg | class1 = bg-transparent | image2 = Zhang Xizhe tifo 2025-06-14 (2).jpg | class2 = bg-transparent | footer = Tifo celebrating Zhang's 400th appearance for Beijing Guoan in June 2025 }}

==International career== Zhang was called up to the Chinese under-20 national team in 2009 and took part in the 2010 AFC U-19 Championship qualifying campaign where he scored two goals from five appearances. At the 2010 AFC U-19 Championship, he played in every game as China lost in the quarter-finals at the tournament. He made his debut for the Chinese national team on 26 March 2011 in a 2–2 draw against Costa Rica.<ref>[http://teamchina.freehostia.com/en/match.php?date=2011-03-26 China PR 2-2 Costa Rica] at teamchina.freehostia.com 2011-03-26 Retrieved 2012-09-19</ref> He scored his first goal for China on 6 September 2013 in a 6–1 win against Singapore.<ref>[http://sports.sina.com.cn/n/2013-09-06/21296766456.shtml 热身-于大宝郑龙各两球两新星传射 国足6-1新加坡] at sports.sina.com.cn 2013-09-06 Retrieved 2013-09-06</ref> On 5 March 2014, Zhang scored a penalty in the final match of 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification in a 3–1 loss against Iraq which ensured that China advanced to the 2015 AFC Asian Cup as the best third place team, beating Lebanon on goal difference.<ref>[http://sports.sohu.com/20140306/n396115568.shtml 专访张稀哲:踢点球时没想过压力 惊险!死里逃生] at sports.sohu.com 2014-03-06 Retrieved 2014-12-29</ref>

==Career statistics== ===Club statistics=== {{updated|14 June 2025}}<ref>[http://www.sodasoccer.com/search/player/100/198113/C93B5D198D66C9BB.shtml 张稀哲] at sodasoccer.com Retrieved 2019-03-30 {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330181729/http://www.sodasoccer.com/search/player/100/198113/C93B5D198D66C9BB.shtml |date=2019-03-30}}</ref> {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" |+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition |- !rowspan="2"|Club !rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="3"|League !colspan="2"|National Cup !colspan="2"|League Cup !colspan="2"|Continental !colspan="2"|Other !colspan="2"|Total |- !Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals |- |rowspan=7|Beijing Guoan |2009 |rowspan=6|Chinese Super League |1||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||0||0||colspan="2"|-||1||0 |- |2010 |8||2||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||8||2 |- |2011||28||1||4||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||32||2 |- |2012||26||4||2||0||colspan="2"|-||5||1||colspan="2"|-||33||5 |- |2013||30||11||3||1||colspan="2"|-||8||0||colspan="2"|-||41||12 |- |2014||29||6||3||1||colspan="2"|-||7||0||colspan="2"|-||39||7 |- !colspan="2"|'''Total''' !122!!24!!12!!3!!0!!0!!20!!1!!0!!0!!154!!28 |- |Beijing Guoan Talent (loan) |2010 ||S.League |5||2||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||5||2 |- |VfL Wolfsburg |2014-15 |Bundesliga |0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||0||0||colspan="2"|-||0||0 |- |rowspan="12"|Beijing Guoan |2015 |rowspan="11"|Chinese Super League |11||1||0||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||11||1 |- |2016||25||6||4||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||29||6 |- |2017||25||3||2||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||27||4 |- |2018||18||4||8||2||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||26||6 |- |2019||24||2||0||0||colspan="2"|-||5||1||1{{efn|Appearance in Chinese FA Super Cup}}||0||30||3 |- |2020||19||1||1||0||colspan="2"|-||8||0||colspan="2"|-||28||1 |- |2021||18||4||0||0||colspan="2"|-||0||0||colspan="2"|-||18||4 |- |2022||30||5||0||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||30||5 |- |2023||18||3||3||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||21||3 |- |2024||19||1||2||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||21||2 |- |2025||5||2||1||1|| colspan="2" |-||0||0||colspan="2"|-||6||3 |- !colspan="2"|'''Total''' !212!!32!!21!!5!!0!!0!!13!!1!!1!!0!!247!!38 |- ! colspan=3 | Career total !338||38||33||8||0||0||33||2||1||0||406||68 |} {{notelist}}

===International statistics=== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |- ! colspan=3 | National team |- !Year!!Apps!!Goals |- |2011||1||0 |- |2012||0||0 |- |2013||8||1 |- |2014||1||1 |- |2015||1||1 |- |2016||4||0 |- |2017||6||1 |- |2018||2||0 |- |2019||7||2 |- |2020||0||0 |- |2021||6||1 |- |2022||1||0 |- !Total||37||7 |}

===International goals=== {{updated|15 June 2021}} :''Scores and results list China's goal tally first.''<ref name="NFT">{{NFT player|id=42795|access-date=9 June 2019}}</ref> {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:85%;" ! No. !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition |- | 1. || 6 September 2013 || Olympic Stadium, Tianjin, China || {{fb|SIN}} || align=center | '''3'''–1 || align=center | 6–1|| Friendly |- | 2. || 5 March 2014 || Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates || {{fb|IRQ}} || align=center | '''1'''–3 || align=center | 1–3|| 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification |- | 3. || 12 November 2015 || Helong Stadium, Changsha, China || {{fb|BHU}} || align=center | '''12'''–0 || align=center | 12–0|| 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |- | 4. || 7 June 2017 || rowspan=2 | Tianhe Stadium, Guangzhou, China || rowspan=2 | {{fb|PHI}} || align=center | '''6'''–1 || align=center | 8–1|| rowspan=2 | Friendly |- | 5. || 7 June 2019 || align=center | '''2'''–0 || align=center | 2–0 |- | 6. || 18 November 2019 || Busan Asiad Main Stadium, Busan, South Korea || {{fb|HKG}} || align=center | '''2'''–0 || align=center | 2–0|| 2019 EAFF E-1 Football Championship |- | 7. || 15 June 2021 || Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates || {{fb|SYR|1980}} || align=center | '''1'''–0 || align=center | 3–1|| 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |}

==Honours== ===Club=== '''Beijing Guoan''' *Chinese Super League: 2009 *Chinese FA Cup: 2018,<ref name="CFA 2018"/> 2025 * Chinese FA Super Cup: 2026

'''VfL Wolfsburg''' *DFB-Pokal: 2014-15

===Individual=== *Chinese Football Association Young Player of the Year: 2012 *Chinese Super League Team of the Year: 2013, 2014 *Chinese FA Cup Most Valuable Player: 2018

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * {{NFT}} * {{Soccerway|zhang-xizhe/121753}} * [http://csldata.sports.sohu.com/player.php?regnum=MA55323 Profile on csldata]

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}} {{Beijing Guoan F.C. squad}} {{Navboxes colour |title=Awards |bg=gold |fg=navy |list1= {{Chinese Football Association Young Player of the Year}} {{2013 Chinese Super League Team of the Year}} {{2014 Chinese Super League Team of the Year}} }}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhang, Xizhe}} Category:1991 births Category:Living people Category:Footballers from Wuhan Category:Chinese men's footballers Category:China men's international footballers Category:China men's youth international footballers Category:China men's under-20 international footballers Category:21st-century Chinese sportsmen Category:Chinese Super League players Category:Singapore Premier League players Category:Beijing Guoan F.C. players Category:VfL Wolfsburg players Category:Chinese expatriate men's footballers Category:Chinese expatriate sportspeople in Singapore Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Singapore Category:Chinese expatriate sportspeople in Germany Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Germany Category:Men's association football midfielders