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Li Weifeng

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In this Chinese name, the family name is Li.
Li Weifeng
李玮峰
Weifeng with Suwon Bluewings in 2009
Personal information
Full name Li Weifeng
Date of birth (1978-12-01) 1 December 1978 (age 45)
Place of birth Changchun, Jilin, China
Height 1.82 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in)
Position(s) Centre back
Youth career
1990–1995 Tianjin Locomotive
1996–1998 Shenzhen Youth
1998 Tianjin Locomotive
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1998–2005 Shenzhen Ping'an 151 (8)
2002–2003 → Everton (loan) 1 (0)
2006–2008 Shanghai Shenhua 49 (8)
2008 Wuhan Guanggu 2 (0)
2009–2010 Suwon Bluewings 48 (2)
2011–2015 Tianjin Teda 105 (3)
2015 Tongji University
Total 356 (21)
International career‡
2008 China Olympic (O.P.) 3 (0)
1998–2011 China 112 (14)
Managerial career
2019–2020 Tianjin Tianhai
2022–2023 Guangzhou City
2024 Henan FC (Deputy Managing Director)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  China
Asian Games
Bronze medal – third place 1998 Bangkok Football
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 9 May 2015
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 9 May 2015

Li Weifeng (simplified Chinese: 李玮峰; traditional Chinese: 李瑋峰; pinyin: Lǐ Wěifēng; born 1 December 1978) is a Chinese football manager and former international footballer.

Club career

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Tianjin Locomotive

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Li Weifeng started his football career with Tianjin Locomotive's youth academy before he was spotted by the Chinese national youth program to study football abroad in a training program sponsored by Jianlibao.[1] This then saw him called up to the Chinese under-20 national team and given a chance to play in the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship.

Loan to Everton

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Upon his return from the tournament, Li was returned to his initial youth team of Tianjin Locomotive until top tier club Shenzhen Ping'an showed an interest in him, not wanting to lose a promising young player a contract dispute would arise until a fee of 800,000 yuan was reportedly agree upon.[2] In the 1998 league season he made his debut for the club and quickly established himself at the heart of the team's defense, guiding them to a 12th-place finish and doing enough to avoid relegation.[3] In the following seasons with Shenzhen, Li establish himself as an integral member of the team and would go on to represent his country in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. With the exposure of the tournament, a short trial at Premier League side Everton immediately followed as part of an Everton deal with Chinese sponsor Kejian. His time at Everton he only made two appearances, playing once in the league against Southampton and once in the League Cup against Wrexham.[4][5] He was unable to make an impact at the club and returned to Shenzhen after the 2002-03 season.[6]

In the 2003 league season, Li returned from his loan spell at Everton and was immediately incorporated back into the team. He was soon made club captain by then manager Zhu Guanghu and within his second spell at the club he would lead them to the 2004 Chinese Super League title for the first time in the club's history.[7] After that success, Zhu Guanghu was offered the Chinese Head coach position and Chi Shangbin came in as his replacement. Unfortunately for Chi, results significantly deteriorated under his reign and Li along with several other members of the team in Li Yi and Yang Chen publicly criticized his management which resulted in his resignation.[8]

Shanghai Shenghua

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In the beginning of the 2006 season, Li left Shenzhen due to the club's financial difficulties and followed many of his teammates out of the club. Shanghai Shenhua bought him for 6 million yuan despite reported interest from Serie A side Fiorentina.[9]

Wuhan Guanggu

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In 2008, Li transferred from Shanghai to Wuhan Guanggu due to a lack of playing time for the league runners-up, reuniting him with his former manager Zhu Guanghu who also coached him in the Chinese national team as well as in Shenzhen. Soon after the transfer, Li was involved in an on-the-field scuffle with Lu Jiang which resulted in him being suspended for eight games by the Chinese Football Association.[10] Already on the verge of relegation, Wuhan amounted protests against this ruling which the club deemed to be unjust and extremely damaging to its chance to survive in the top flight. After its efforts were proven to be futile, Wuhan withdrew from the league and was disbanded and Li did not appear in any games for the rest of the season.[11]

Suwon Samsung Bluewings

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Because of Wuhan's withdrawal, most of its non-local and highly paid players were put on the transfer list at the end of the season, with Li among them. Because of his reputation, high wage demands, gigantic transfer fee, and the unserved eight-game suspension, Li was a hard commodity to move despite being perceived as heads and shoulders above the rest of the Chinese defenders. But the new AFC Champions League rule came to his rescue as it allowed all tournament participants to have one foreign Asian player. Attracting heavy interest from both the Japanese and Korean leagues, Li moved to K-League side Suwon Samsung Bluewings in January 2009, signing a two-year contract for a reported $400,000 and reuniting him with another one of his former managers. Some pundits suggested that Li moved on a free transfer because Wuhan's withdrawal made all of its players free agents under FIFA's rules. However, Wuhan immediately released statements announcing its intention to obstruct the move if it was not at least partly remunerated and media reports stated that Li would pay his former club himself in order to play for the Korean outfit.[12] In his debut appearance, he was sent off against Sparta Prague in a friendly match in Hong Kong; however, Li redeemed himself in his first official match for Suwon in an AFC Champions League match in a 4-1 win against Kashima Antlers by scoring the opening goal.[13]

Tianjin Teda

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On 18 January 2011, Li signed with Chinese Super League side Tianjin Teda and was named as the club captain.[14] On 20 July 2015, Li was released by the club midway through the 2015 season.[15]

Tongji University

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In 2015, Li joined Tongji University in Shanghai before retiring at the end of the year.

International career

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Li made his first appearance for the Chinese national team on 22 November 1998 in a friendly match against South Korea, which ended in a 0-0 draw.[16] His performances for the national team would see him called up to China's squads for the 2000 AFC Asian Cup and 2002 FIFA World Cup.[17] In 2003, he was promoted to team captain by then manager Arie Haan and would lead China to a runners-up position at the 2004 AFC Asian Cup.[18] In September 2006, he was banned from the national team for attacking an opposing player and hence earning his sixth red card in fourteen months during an AFC Champions League game with Shanghai Shenhua. His position as captain of the national team was stripped and later assigned to Zheng Zhi.[19] The ban was removed after a year, but since then he never had any significant role in the national team anymore. He returned as Captain during the 2014 World Cup qualifying, but his return could not help China pass through the Third Round, after two shocking losses to Iraq.[20]

Managerial career

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Li was appointed as the vice managing director of Tianjin Quanjian in September 2015.[21]

Playstyle

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He has strength in a strong fighting spirit and an interpersonal mark. And the timing of the jump and heading is really good, so the ability to take control of the airborne ball is excellent.

Career statistics

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Club statistics

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Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
China PR League FA Cup CSL Cup Asia Total
1998 Shenzhen Ping'an Chinese Jia-A League 11 2 0 0 - - 11 2
1999 23 1 0 0 - - 23 1
2000 24 0 - - 24 0
2001 24 1 0 0 - - 24 1
2002 10 0 0 0 - - 10 0
England League FA Cup League Cup Europe Total
2002-03 Everton Premier League 1 0 0 0 1 0 - 2 0
China PR League FA Cup CSL Cup Asia Total
2003 Shenzhen Jianlibao Chinese Jia-A League 24 3 3 0 - - 27 3
2004 Chinese Super League 13 1 3 0 1 0 - 17 1
2005 22 0 2 0 6 0 5 0 35 0
2006 Shanghai Shenhua Chinese Super League 27 4 2 1 - 3 0 32 5
2007 22 4 - - 2 0 24 4
2008 0 0 - - - 0 0
Wuhan Guanggu Chinese Super League 2 0 - - - 2 0
South Korea League KFA Cup League Cup Asia Total
2009 Suwon Bluewings K-League 24 1 5 1 2 0 5 2 36 4
2010 24 1 5 0 5 0 9 0 43 1
China PR League FA Cup CSL Cup Asia Total
2011 Tianjin Teda Chinese Super League 24 1 3 0 - 7 0 34 1
2012 28 0 1 0 - 5 0 34 0
2013 27 1 1 0 - - 28 1
2014 19 1 1 0 - - 20 1
2015 7 0 0 0 - - 7 0
Total China PR 307 19 16 1 7 0 22 0 352 20
England 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0
South Korea 48 2 10 1 7 0 14 2 79 5
Career total 356 21 26 2 15 0 36 2 433 25

International goals

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Results list China's goal tally first.
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 12 December 1998 Bangkok, Thailand  Oman 5–0 6–1 1998 Asian Games
2 26 January 2000 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam  Guam 4–0 19–0 2000 AFC Asian Cup qualifier
3 3 September 2000 Shanghai, China  Iraq 1–0 4–1 2000 Four Nations Tournament
4 3 September 2000 Shanghai, China  Iraq 3–1 4–1 2000 Four Nations Tournament
5 22 April 2001 Xi'an, China  Maldives 10–1 10–1 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier
6 13 May 2001 Kunming, China  Indonesia 1–1 5–1 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier
7 7 September 2001 Doha, Qatar  Qatar 1–1 1–1 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier
8 15 September 2001 Shenyang, China  Uzbekistan 1–0 2–0 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier
9 16 February 2003 Wuhan, China  Estonia 1–0 1–0 Friendly international
10 17 November 2004 Guangzhou, China  Hong Kong 7–0 7–0 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier
11 22 February 2006 Guangzhou, China  Palestine 2–0 2–0 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualifier
12 21 October 2007 Foshan, China  Myanmar 7–0 7–0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier
13 25 May 2008 Kunshan, China  Jordan 2–0 2–0 Friendly international
14 15 November 2011 Singapore  Singapore 2–0 4–0 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier

Honours

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Club

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Shenzhen Ping'an

Shanghai Shenhua

Suwon Bluewings

Tianjin Teda

International

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China PR national football team

Individual

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ 李玮峰 (in Chinese). sports.sina.com.cn. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  2. ^ 中国"阿贾克斯"天津火车头 走出李玮峰、李毅 (in Chinese). sports.163.com. 29 October 2007. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  3. ^ "China League 1998". RSSSF. 16 July 2003. Archived from the original on 29 September 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  4. ^ "Wrexham 0-3 Everton". BBC. 1 October 2002. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  5. ^ "Pahars punishes Everton". BBC. 11 September 2002. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  6. ^ "Chinese defender leaves Everton". BBC. 20 January 2003. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  7. ^ "Shenzhen Jianlibao win super league title". newsgd.com. 25 November 2004. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  8. ^ "Shenzhen has given in to "ruffian" players". en.people.cn. 19 May 2005. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  9. ^ 李玮峰抵达上海 蓝魔球迷机场迎接感动大头 (in Chinese). people.com.cn. 1 February 2006. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  10. ^ 国安震怒主裁执法不公 高层威胁要退出中国足坛 (in Chinese). sports.sohu.com. 29 September 2008. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  11. ^ 足协维持李玮峰处罚 武汉宣布罢赛正式退出中超 (in Chinese). sports.sohu.com. 1 October 2008. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  12. ^ "Li Weifeng is Suwon bound". FIFA. 12 February 2009. Archived from the original on 2 February 2009. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  13. ^ "Suwon Bluewings vs. Kashima Antlers 4-1". uk.soccerway.com. 11 March 2009. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  14. ^ 李玮峰已正式加盟天津泰达足球俱乐部 (in Chinese). sports.enorth.com.cn. 18 January 2011. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  15. ^ 李玮锋正式与泰达解约离队 先回深圳休息再打算 (in Chinese). sports.enorth.com.cn. 21 July 2015. Archived from the original on 25 July 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  16. ^ "李玮锋106场国际A级比赛记录 102次首发进13球" (in Chinese). Titan24. 28 July 2008. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  17. ^ -월드컵- 중국.나이지리아.우루과이, 엔트리 발표(종합) (in Korean). Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  18. ^ "Asian Cup 2004 China" Finale" China - Japan 1:3" (in German). weltfussball.de. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  19. ^ 国足动员会又强调整风 李玮峰遭到撤职停赛重罚 (in Chinese). sports.enorth.com.cn. 3 October 2006. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  20. ^ "中 축구, 싱가포르에 4대0 대승 화풀이...이라크 승리로 탈락은 확정". www.mydaily.co.kr. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  21. ^ 定了!权健内部宣布李玮锋任副总 总经理一职空缺 (in Chinese). sports.163.com. 22 September 2015. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
  22. ^ "足协杯-王新欣于大宝联手逆转 天津2-1胜山东夺冠" (in Chinese). Sports.sina.com.cn. 19 November 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
[edit]
Sporting positions
Preceded by China national football team captain
2003–2006 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Shanghai Shenhua F.C. captain
with Jiang Kun
2007 		Succeeded by
Preceded by China national football team captain
2011 		Succeeded by
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