Yang Ruiqi

Yang Ruiqi (; born 8 February 2004) is a Chinese professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for China League One club Meizhou Hakka, on loan from Chinese Super League club Shandong Taishan.

Club career
Yang Ruiqi was born on 8 February 2004 in Xi'an, Shaanxi, and started playing football at a young age. In 2012, when Yang was eight years old, he was sent to the youth academy in the Luneng Taishan Football School of Chinese Super League outfit Shandong Luneng Taishan. In 2022, he was promoted to the Shandong Taishan first-team to participate in the 2022 AFC Champions League, to avoid quarantining their first-team players upon their return to China due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On 15 April, he made his senior debut in a 7–0 loss to South Korean club Daegu, starting in and playing the full match. A week later on 21 April, he held a clean sheet against Singaporean side Lion City Sailors in a 0–0 stalemate, in what the Asian Football Confederation described as a defensive masterclass from Shandong Taishan. In 2023, he returned to the Shandong Taishan U21 team. In November 2023, Yang helped Shandong Taishan U21 reach the 2023 CFA U-21 League title, gaining promotion to the 2024 China League Two.

On 23 February 2024, Yang Ruiqi joined China League Two club Shaanxi Union on a one-year loan. He chose to wear the number 44 shirt. He made his debut for Shaanxi Union on 23 March in a 2–0 away win against Hubei Istar, helping the club clinch its first ever professional league victory. He scored his only goal for the club in a 2–1 victory away at Guangxi Hengchen on 7 September, grasping a 97th-minute winner. In the 2024 season, Yang totalled 21 appearances and scored only the one goal.

In the 2025 season, he followed Shandong Taishan B to play in China League Two. On 9 April, he provided the team's opener in their 1–1 home draw with Wuxi Wugo. On 24 June 2025, Yang signed on a half-year loan at Chinese Super League club Meizhou Hakka, being given the number 23 shirt. He made his Meizhou Hakka and Chinese Super League debut the following day on 25 June in a 4–0 home loss to Beijing Guoan, coming on as a 59th-minute substitute for Zhong Haoran. On 24 October 2025, Yang scored his first Chinese Super League goal in a 4–1 home defeat to Yunnan Yukun.

International career
In June 2019, Yang was called up to the China U15 to take part in a training camp led by head coach Antonio Puche.

Career statistics
Club

ClubSeasonLeagueCupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsShandong Taishan2022Chinese Super League000050–502023Chinese Super League0000000000 Total0000500050Shaanxi Union (loan)2024China League Two19120––211Shandong Taishan B ()2025China League Two141–––141Meizhou Hakka (loan)2025Chinese Super League8100––81 Career total413205000483

References

External links


Category:2004 births
Category:Living people
Category:Chinese men's footballers
Category:China men's youth international footballers
Category:Sportspeople from Xi'an
Category:Footballers from Shaanxi
Category:Men's association football central defenders
Category:China League Two players
Category:Chinese Super League players
Category:Shandong Taishan F.C. players
Category:Shaanxi Union F.C. players
Category:Meizhou Hakka F.C. players
Category:21st-century Chinese sportsmen