Yu Tao

Yu Tao (simplified Chinese: 于涛; traditional Chinese: 于濤; pinyin: Yú Tāo; born October 15, 1981, in Shanghai) is a Chinese international football player as a midfielder.

In this Chinese name, the family name is Yu.
Yu Tao
于涛
Personal information
Full name Yu Tao
Date of birth (1981-10-15) 15 October 1981
Place of birth Shanghai, China
Height 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
1995–1999 Shanghai 02
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2000–2001 Shanghai 02 12 (0)
2002–2012 Shanghai Shenhua 255 (17)
2013–2015 Shanghai Shenxin 82 (1)
2016–2018 Beijing Enterprises Group 51 (1)
International career‡
2002–2011 China 11 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 3 November 2018
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 1 November 2015

Club career

Yu Tao began his football career playing for Shanghai 02 before the club was taken over by Shanghai Shenhua and he was promoted to their senior side at the beginning of the 2002 league season, where he made twenty four league games and would score four goals.[1] By the following season, he would become an integral member of the Shenhua team due to his ability to play in numerous positions in the midfield and would help them to win the league 2003 league title.[2] Unfortunately in 2013 the Chinese Football Association would revoke the league title after it was discovered the Shenhua General manager Lou Shifang had bribed officials to be bias to Shenhua in games that season.[3][4]

Despite several changes in management and the influx of players from the Shanghai United merger, Yu Tao has been a constant regular for Shanghai Shenhua throughout his career.[5] By the 2010 league season his loyalty towards Shanghai would be rewarded when he was named the club's captain and on May 8, 2010, in a league game against Liaoning Whowin, he would become the club's most capped player when he made his one hundred and eighty sixth league appearance for the club.[6] This was soon followed by him also reaching 200 league appearances for the club on August 29, 2010, in a league game against Dalian Shide, which ended in a 1–1 draw.[7]

On 20 December 2012, Yu moved to Shanghai Shenxin on a free transfer, he signed a three-year-deal with Shenxin.[8] On 23 December 2015, Yu transferred to China League One side Beijing Enterprises Group on a free transfer.[9]

International career

Yu Tao would be called up into the Chinese managers Arie Haan's first game against Syria in a friendly on 7 December 2002 in a 3–1 win.[10] After that game, he would become an irregular member for the national team, but this would not be enough to make the squad for the 2004 AFC Asian Cup. After several years in the international wilderness, the next Chinese manager Zhu Guanghu would call him up for a friendly against Kazakhstan on February 7, 2007, in a 2–1 victory.[11] In preparation for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, Zhu Guanghu included Yu Tao in several further squads but decided not in include him for the final tournament. The introduction of Gao Hongbo as the Chinese manager that saw Yu Tao given his chance of a competitive tournament when he was called him up for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup.

Honours

Shanghai Shenhua

References
  1. "Yú, Tāo". National-Football-Teams.com. Retrieved 2012-04-09.
  2. "China 2003". Rsssf.com. 2004-04-18. Retrieved 2012-04-09.
  3. "Details of soccer referee investigation released to public". chinadaily.com.cn. 2011-03-31. Retrieved 2014-05-20.
  4. "China Strips Shenhua of 2003 League Title, Bans 33 People for Life". english.cri.cn. 18 February 2013. Archived from the original on April 10, 2013. Retrieved 2014-05-20.
  5. "Shanghai's Two Major Soccer Clubs to Merge". China.org.cn. 2007-02-09. Retrieved 2012-04-09.
  6. "Shanghai Shenhua 2 - 2 Liaoning Whowin". Soccerway.com. 2010-05-08. Retrieved 2012-04-09.
  7. "Shanghai Shenhua 1 - 1 Dalian Shide". Soccerway.com. 2010-08-29. Retrieved 2012-04-09.
  8. "申鑫官方宣布 申花队长于涛正式加盟合同为期三年". Shanghai online. 2012-12-20. Retrieved 2012-12-20.
  9. 于涛离开申鑫加盟北控获官宣 at sports.sina.com 2015-12-23. Retrieved 2015-12-24 (in Chinese)
  10. "China 3-1 Syria". Teamchina.freehostia.com. 2002-12-07. Retrieved 2012-04-09.
  11. "China 2-1 Kazakhstan". Teamchina.freehostia.com. 2007-02-07. Retrieved 2012-04-09.
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