Li Weifeng

Li Weifeng
Born	(1978-12-01) December 1, 1978 China
Occupation(s)	Football player, football manager
Years active	1998–2015 (player)
Known for	Chinese international football player, captain of Chinese national team, football manager

Template:Family name hatnote Template:Infobox football biography

Li Weifeng (Template:Zh; born December 1, 1978) is a retired Chinese international football player and current football manager.

Tianjin Locomotive

Li Weifeng began his football journey within the youth ranks of Tianjin Locomotive before being selected for the Chinese national youth program, which enabled him to train overseas through a development scheme funded by Jianlibao. This opportunity led to his inclusion in the Chinese under-20 squad, where he participated in the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship.

Loan to Everton

After completing the tournament, Li returned to his original youth club, Tianjin Locomotive. However, interest from top-tier side Shenzhen Ping'an soon emerged. To avoid losing such a promising talent without compensation, a transfer fee reportedly amounting to 800,000 yuan was agreed upon. During the 1998 season, Li debuted for Shenzhen Ping'an and quickly became a key figure in their defensive line, helping the team secure a 12th-place finish and avoid relegation. Over subsequent seasons with Shenzhen, he solidified his role as an essential player and earned selection for the 2002 FIFA World Cup representing China. Following this high-profile exposure, Li undertook a brief trial at English Premier League club Everton as part of an arrangement linked to Everton’s Chinese sponsor, Kejian. While at Everton, he featured in just two matches: one league appearance against Southampton and a League Cup fixture facing Wrexham. Unable to secure a lasting impact, Li returned to Shenzhen after the conclusion of the 2002-03 season.

Upon returning from his loan in the 2003 season, Li was promptly reinstated into Shenzhen's lineup. Under manager Zhu Guanghu, he was appointed club captain and during this second tenure led the team to their inaugural 2004 Chinese Super League championship. Following this achievement, Zhu Guanghu accepted the role of head coach for the national team, with Chi Shangbin stepping in as Shenzhen’s new manager. Unfortunately, under Chi’s leadership, team performance declined sharply. This downturn prompted public criticism from Li alongside teammates such as Li Yi and Yang Chen, which ultimately contributed to Chi’s resignation.

Shanghai Shenghua

At the start of the 2006 season, Li departed from Shenzhen amid the club's financial struggles, joining several teammates who also exited. Despite reported interest from Serie A's Fiorentina, Shanghai Shenhua secured his transfer for 6 million yuan.

Wuhan Guanggu

In 2008, Li moved from Shanghai to Wuhan Guanggu due to limited playing opportunities at the league's runners-up. This transfer reunited him with former manager Zhu Guanghu, who had previously coached him both in Shenzhen and the Chinese national team. Shortly after joining Wuhan, Li was involved in an on-pitch altercation with Lu Jiang, leading to an eight-match suspension imposed by the Chinese Football Association. Facing relegation threats, Wuhan protested what they considered an unfair and detrimental punishment that jeopardized their top-tier status. When their appeals failed, the club withdrew from the league and disbanded, resulting in Li not participating in any further matches that season.

Suwon Samsung Bluewings

Following Wuhan’s exit from the league, most of its high-profile and non-local players, including Li, were placed on the transfer market. Despite being recognized as one of China's premier defenders, his substantial salary demands, significant transfer fee, and remaining eight-game suspension made finding a new club challenging. The introduction of a new AFC Champions League rule allowing each team to register one foreign Asian player created an opportunity for Li. He attracted considerable attention from Japanese and Korean clubs before signing a two-year deal with K-League side Suwon Samsung Bluewings in January 2009 for approximately $400,000, reuniting with another former coach. Some analysts believed he joined Suwon on a free transfer since FIFA regulations declared all Wuhan players free agents after the club's dissolution. However, Wuhan publicly declared their intent to block the move unless compensated, and reports indicated that Li might personally pay his former club to finalize the transfer. In his debut friendly against Sparta Prague in Hong Kong, Li was sent off but redeemed himself by scoring the opening goal in his first official appearance during Suwon’s 4-1 AFC Champions League victory over Kashima Antlers.

Tianjin Teda

On 18 January 2011, Li officially joined the Chinese Super League club Tianjin Teda and was appointed as the team's captain. Midway through the 2015 season, specifically on 20 July, Li was released from his contract with the club.

Tongji University

In 2015, Li enrolled at Tongji University in Shanghai and subsequently retired from professional football at the conclusion of that year.

International career

Li earned his debut for the Chinese national team on 22 November 1998 in a friendly encounter against South Korea, which concluded in a goalless draw. His strong performances secured his selection for China's squads at both the 2000 AFC Asian Cup and the 2002 FIFA World Cup. In 2003, under the management of Arie Haan, he was elevated to the role of team captain and led China to a second-place finish at the 2004 AFC Asian Cup. However, in September 2006, Li faced suspension from the national team after receiving his sixth red card within fourteen months during an AFC Champions League match against Shanghai Shenhua, resulting from an altercation with an opposing player. Consequently, he was stripped of his captaincy, which was then assigned to Zheng Zhi. Although his ban was lifted after one year, he did not regain a prominent role in the national squad thereafter. He did return as captain during the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, but despite his leadership, China failed to advance past the Third Round following two unexpected defeats to Iraq.

Managerial career

In September 2015, Li was named vice managing director at Tianjin Quanjian.

Playstyle

Li is recognized for his robust competitive spirit and strong interpersonal skills. His timing when jumping and heading the ball is notably precise, contributing to his exceptional ability in aerial ball control.

Club statistics

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	-)	-)	(colspan="2")-	(0)	0
	Wuhan Guanggu	(rowspan="1") Chinese Super League	(2)	0	(colspan="2")-	(colspan="2")-	(colspan="2")-	(2)	0
South Korea			League		KFA Cup		League Cup		Asia		Total
2009	(rowspan="2") Suwon Bluewings	(rowspan="2") 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	(rowspan="5") Tianjin Teda	(rowspan="5") Chinese Super League	(24)	1	(3)	0	(colspan="2")-	(7)	0	(34)	1
2012	(28)	0	(1)	0	(colspan="2")-	(5)	0	(34)	0
2013	(27)	1	(1)	0	(colspan="2")-	(colspan="2")-	(28)	1
2014	(19)	1	(1)	0	(colspan="2")-	(colspan="2")-	(20)	1
2015	(7)	0	(0)	0	(colspan="2")-	(colspan="2")-	(7)	0
Total	colspan= ² China PR	(307)!(19)!(16)!(1)!(7)!(0)!(22)!(0)!(352)!(20)
	colspan = ² England	(1)!(0)!(0)!(0)!(1)!(0)!(0)!(0)!( ² ) (²) (²) (²) (²) (²) (²) (²) (²) (²) (²) (²) (²) (²) (²) (²) (²) (²) (²) (²) (²) (²) (²) (²) (²) (²) (²) (²)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- International goals Listed below are the matches with China's goal count presented first. # Date Location Opponent Scoreline Final Score Tournament 1 12 December 1998 Bangkok, Thailand Template:Fb 5–0 6–1 1998 Asian Games 2 26 January 2000 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Template:Fb 4–0 19–0 2000 AFC Asian Cup qualifier 3 3 September 2000 Shanghai, China Template:Fb 1–0 4–1 2000 Four Nations Tournament 4 3 September 2000 Shanghai, China Template:Fb 3–1 4–1 2000 Four Nations Tournament 5 22 April 2001 Xi'an, China Template:Fb 10–1 10–1 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier 6 13 May 2001 Kunming, China Template:Fb 1–1 5–1 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier 7 7 September 2001 Doha, Qatar Template:Fb 1–1 1–1 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier 8 15 September 2001 Shenyang, China Template:Fb 1–0 2–0 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier 9 16 February 2003 Wuhan, China Template:Fb 1–0 1–0 Friendly international 10 17 November 2004 Guangzhou, China Template:Fb 7–0 7–0 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier 11 22 February 2006 Guangzhou, China Template:Fb 2–0 2–0 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualifier 12 21 October 2007 Foshan, China Template:Fb 7–0 7–0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier 13 25 May 2008 Kunshan, China Template:Fb 2–0 2–0 Friendly international 14 15 November 2011 Singapore Template:Fb 2–0 4–0 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier Club Shenzhen Ping'an Chinese Super League Champion: 2004 Shanghai Shenhua A3 Champions Cup Winner: 2007 Suwon Bluewings Korean FA Cup Title: 2009 Tianjin Teda Chinese FA Cup Champion: 2011 International China PR national football team Victors of the East Asian Football Championship: 2005 Individual Selected for the Chinese Super League Team of the Year in: 1999, 2001, 2003, and the 2004 season See also List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps References External links Template:K League player Template:FIFA player Template:NFT player