# Christopher van Huizen

Christopher James van Huizen (born 28 November 1992) is a Singaporean professional footballer who plays as a full-back for Singapore Premier League club Lion City Sailors and the Singapore national team.

## Club career
### Youth career

Van Huizen went for trials with Geylang United when he was young and duly impressed the coaches at Geylang was rewarded with a place at the Geylang under-16 squad. In 2010, he joined rivals Tampines Rovers' Prime League squad when he turned 17 but saw his opportunity derailed by National Service in 2011. Van Huizen rejected the chance to play for the SAFSA team during his 2 years of service and almost gave up on continuing professional football.
A second chance came calling for Van Huizen when he entered the professional football scene in Singapore through his involvement in a MediaCorp Channel 5 TV series, First XI.

### Tampines Rovers

Following his performance in the reality TV series and the completion of his national service, Tampines Rovers head coach Rafi Ali offered Van Huizen a two-year contract to play for both the Prime League squad and the senior squad that competes in the 2013 S.League.
Van Huizen scored his first professional career goal during the 2014 Singapore League Cup match against Police SA where he scored and assisted a goal in a 9–0 thrashing win on 19 July 2014. He also scored his first league goal in a 2–0 win over Woodlands Wellington on 31 July.

### LionsXII

Alongside Sahil Suhaimi, Wahyudi Wayid and Izzdin Shafiq, Van Huizen was unveiled as one of the new LionsXII signings by Fandi Ahmad for the 2015 Malaysia Super League season. This marks a remarkable turnaround for the "boy from the reality series" to a potential national team player.
Van Huizen made his LionsXII debut as a substitute in the opening game of the season, coming on to make a brief cameo appearance against PDRM FA in a 5–3 victory for the Lions. He was part of the squad that won the 2015 Malaysia FA Cup.

### Tampines Rovers

Following the exit of LionsXII from the Malaysia Super League, Van Huizen rejoined Tampines Rovers in January 2016. Van Huizen make his AFC Cup debut on 23 March 2016 against Bangladeshi club Shiekh Jamal in a 4–0 win. During a league match against DPMM on 19 March 2016, he assisted twice as Tampines Rovers went on to win 2–1. Van Huizen then scored his first goal of the season in a 1–2 win over Young Lions in the next match on 3 April, helping the Stags climb to joint-top of the 2016 S.League season.

### Young Lions

On 1 July 2016, Van Huizen signed for Young Lions midway throughout the 2016 season. This was following a season at Tampines Rovers where he was used sparingly.

### Home United

On 2 January 2017, Van Huizen signed for Home United. He make his debut for the club during the first leg of the 2017 AFC Cup qualifying play-offs against Cambodian club Phnom Penh Crown in a 4–3 away win on 30 January.

### Geylang International

In January 2019, Van Huizen signed for his boyhood club, Geylang International ahead of the 2019 season. On 5 July, he raked up a brace of assist which helped his team settled to a 2–2 draw against Hougang United. In the next match against Home United on 12 July, Van Huizen again picked up a brace of assist but that was not enough as Geylang suffered to a 3–2 defeat. On 30 August, he raked up his third brace of assist in the season which helped his team to win 2–1 against Young Lions. Van Huizen recorded 10 assists in the league leading the top assist chart in the 2019 season.
On 15 March 2020, Van Huizen scored a brace which helped his team to win 2–1 against Hougang United during a league match.
On 3 October 2021, Van Huizen recorded a hat-trick of assist in a 3–0 win over Balestier Khalsa which won him the 'man of the match' award. However, on 11 November 2021, he left Geylang International, considering retirement from football.

### Tampines Rovers

In January 2022, Van Huizen was given another chance by his former club, Tampines Rovers and signed a one-year deal. He went on to make 27 appearances for the club where he scored 3 goals and assisted twice throughout the 2022 season.

### Lion City Sailors

On 20 January 2023, Van Huizen signed for Lion City Sailors on a 18 months contract ahead of the 2023 season. On 13 August, he scored his first goal for the club in a massive 8–2 away victory against Hougang United. On 20 September, he make his 2023–24 AFC Champions League debut in a 2–1 lost against Thailand club Bangkok United. On 4 October, Van Huizen assisted Richairo Živković in the AFC Champions League group stage match to take the lead against Hong Kong side, Kitchee which would see Lion City Sailors ending up in a 2–1 away win. In his first season at the club, he won the 2023 Singapore Cup which is his first domestic trophy.
On 22 September 2024, Van Huizen scored his first goal of the 2024–25 season in a 3–1 win against Balestier Khalsa.

## International career
### Youth

Having impressed in his first season in the 2014 S.League, Van Huizen was rewarded with a call-up to the Singapore under-21 squad, by Richard Bok, for the Thanh Niên Cup in Vietnam.

### Senior

In 2015, Van Huizen was called up to the senior team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. He made his senior team international debut in a 3–0 lost against Japan, coming on with 10 minutes left on the clock. He earned his third cap in a friendly against Myanmar, coming on for the final 15 minutes of the game.
In 2022, Van Huizen was included in the team for the 2022 FAS Tri-Nations Series and 2022 AFF Championship tournament.
On 12 October 2023, Van Huizen scored his first international goal against Guam in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers scoring from outside the box with his weak foot.

## Career statistics
### Club

    As of match played 23 June 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | National Cup | National Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Asia | Asia | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Tampines Rovers | 2014 | Singapore Premier League | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 |
| Tampines Rovers | Total | Total | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 |
| LionsXII | 2015 | Malaysia Super League | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 3 |
| LionsXII | Total | Total | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 3 |
| Tampines Rovers | 2016 | Singapore Premier League | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 |
| Tampines Rovers | Total | Total | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 |
| Young Lions | 2016 | Singapore Premier League | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Young Lions | Total | Total | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Home United | 2017 | Singapore Premier League | 9 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| Home United | 2018 | Singapore Premier League | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Home United | Total | Total | 21 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 35 | 0 |
| Geylang International | 2019 | Singapore Premier League | 22 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 1 |
| Geylang International | 2020 | Singapore Premier League | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2 |
| Geylang International | 2021 | Singapore Premier League | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 1 |
| Geylang International | Total | Total | 53 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 54 | 4 |
| Tampines Rovers | 2022 | Singapore Premier League | 20 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 3 |
| Tampines Rovers | Total | Total | 20 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 3 |
| Lion City Sailors | 2023 | Singapore Premier League | 17 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 29 | 1 |
| Lion City Sailors | 2024–25 | Singapore Premier League | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 19 | 1 |
| Lion City Sailors | Total | Total | 32 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 48 | 2 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 164 | 14 | 18 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 20 | 0 | 207 | 15 |

### International

Appearances and goals by national team and year :
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
| Singapore | 2015 | 2 | 0 |
| Singapore | 2016 | 2 | 0 |
| Singapore | 2022 | 8 | 0 |
| Singapore | 2023 | 7 | 1 |
| Total | Total | 19 | 1 |

### International goals

    Scores and results list Singapore's goal tally first.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1. | 12 October 2023 | National Stadium, Kallang, Singapore | Guam | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |

## Honours
### Club
#### LionsXII

* Malaysia FA Cup: 2015

#### Lion City Sailors

* Singapore Cup: 2023
* Singapore Community Shield: 2024

### Individual

* Singapore Premier League Player of the Month: July 2019