{{short description|Chinese footballer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Zou Yougen<br/>邹侑根 | image = | fullname = Zou Yougen | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1975|2|25|df=yes}} | birth_place = Chengdu, China | height = {{height|m=1.75}} | position = Midfielder | currentclub = | clubnumber = | youthyears1 = 1990—1993 | youthclubs1 = Sichuan Youth | years1 = 1994—2005 | clubs1 = Sichuan Quanxing | caps1 = 237 | goals1 = 28 | years2 = 2006—2007 | clubs2 = Xiamen Bluelion | caps2 = 50 | goals2 = 15 | years3 = 2008—2010 | clubs3 = Chengdu Blades | caps3 = 34 | goals3 = 2 | nationalyears1 = 1997—2005 | nationalteam1 = China | nationalcaps1 = 1 | nationalgoals1 = 0 | ntupdate = 15:30, 27 January 2011 (UTC) | pcupdate = 15:30, 27 January 2011 (UTC) }}
'''Zou Yougen''' (Simplified Chinese: 邹侑根; born 25 February 1975) is a former Chinese international football midfielder, who represented Sichuan Quanxing, Xiamen Bluelion and Chengdu Blades where he achieved the distinction for being the first player to ever make over 300 appearances at the highest level of Chinese football as well as holding the record for the most appearances in the top flight of any professional Chinese footballer at the time.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sports.qq.com/a/20090523/000383.htm|title=灵猫复出邹侑根显价值 306场联赛堪称出场王|publisher=sports.qq.com|date= 2009-05-23|access-date=2012-09-28}}</ref>
==Club career== Zou Yougen grew up in Chengdu, Sichuan where he joined the Sichuan Youth team. He was drafted into the senior side during the 1994 league season. This was the first season where the entire football league became fully professional and Zou quickly adapted to the higher demands of the league where, in his debut season, he made eight appearances and scored two goals.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sodasoccer.com/search/player/055D37A63E5FFD63.html|title=邹侑根|publisher=sodasoccer.com|access-date=2012-09-28|archive-date=15 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121115072440/http://www.sodasoccer.com/search/player/055D37A63E5FFD63.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Because of his ability to play in several midfield positions, particularly within left-midfield, he quickly moved up from a squad regular to a vital member of the team by the 1996 league season at Sichuan Quanxing. With Sichuan he stayed with them throughout their highs and lows until the club disbanded before the start of the 2006 league season.
Without a club Zou joined recently promoted club Xiamen Bluelion who still had to buy his contract for 2 million RMB. With Xiamen he experienced a resurgence in his career and went on to score 10 league goals in his first season with Xiamen.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://nationalfootballteams.com/v2/player.php?id=22004|title=Zōu, Yǒugēn|publisher=nationalfootballteams.com|access-date=2012-09-28|archive-date=14 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714160159/http://nationalfootballteams.com/v2/player.php?id=22004|url-status=dead}}</ref> The following season he could not prevent Xiamen from being relegated and he left for another promoted side Chengdu Blades as well as returning to his hometown of Chengdu. It was at this club that Zou played in his 300th league game and achieved being the most capped player in Chinese football to play in the top flight when he played a league game against Henan Construction on November 2, 2008 in a 0-0 draw.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sports.sohu.com/20081101/n260380533.shtml|title=奥利萨德贝连续6轮哑火 成都0-0平河南 视频 评|publisher=sports.sohu.com |date= 2008-11-01|access-date=2012-09-28}}</ref> While Zou continued to add to his record, his time playing at the top flight ended when Chengdu Blades were relegated for match-fixing before the start of 2010 league season, Zou decided to stay loyal and remained with the club.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/clubfootball/news/newsid=1172760.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108082639/http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/clubfootball/news/newsid=1172760.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 8, 2012|title=Chengdu Blades demoted|publisher=fifa.com|date=23 February 2010|access-date=2012-09-28}}</ref> Zou would only play a small part in the team's promotion and decide to retire with team mate Yao Xia at the end of the season.
==See also== * List of football records in China
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{NFT player|21233}} * [http://sports.sina.com.cn/star/Zouyougen/index.shtml Zou's News at SINA (Chinese)] * {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008081014/http://data.sports.163.com/athlete/home/0005000EBSEH.html |title=Database at Netease (Chinese) }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zou, Yougen}} Category:1975 births Category:Living people Category:Footballers from Chengdu Category:Chinese men's footballers Category:China men's international footballers Category:Sichuan First City F.C. players Category:Xiamen Blue Lions F.C. players Category:Chengdu Tiancheng F.C. players Category:Chinese Super League players Category:China League One players Category:Men's association football midfielders Category:21st-century Chinese sportsmen