Liu Zhao (footballer)
{{short description|Chinese footballer}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Liu Zhao
刘钊
| image =
| fullname = Liu Zhao
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1985|1|11}}
| birth_place = Qingdao, Shandong, China
| currentclub =
| clubnumber =
| height = 1.78 m
| youthyears1 = 1999–2003
| youthclubs1 = Shandong Luneng
| years1 = 2003–2011
| clubs1 = Shandong Luneng
| caps1 = 41
| goals1 = 0
| pcupdate = 1 Jan 2012
| ntupdate =
}}
{{family name hatnote|Liu|lang=Chinese}}
Liu Zhao ({{zh|s=刘钊|t=劉釗|p=Liú Zhāo}}; born 11 January 1985 in Qingdao, Shandong) is a Chinese football player who lasted played for Shandong Luneng. He is a versatile left-footed player who is able to play in numerous positions on the left side of the field.{{cite web|url=http://www.football-lineups.com/footballer/33128/|title=Liu Zhao|publisher=football-lineups.com|date=|accessdate=2012-08-07}}
Club career
A graduate of the Shandong Luneng youth system, Liu Zhao would begin his professional football career when he made his senior club debut on July 6, 2003 in a league game vs Beijing Guo'an. Due to injury Liu Zhao was, however, unable to add many more games to his debut and while he scored his first goal for Shandong on May 26, 2005 in an AFC Champions League group game vs BEC Tero Sasana FC, in Thailand from a free-kick in a 4-0 win he would still spend much of the season injured.{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesa/ascup05.html|title=Asian Club Competitions 2005
|date=19 Mar 2006|website=RSSSF|accessdate=2012-08-07}} It was only within the 2008 Chinese Super League when Liu Zhao spent much of the season injury free that he started to establish himself within the Shandong team when he played in ten league games and helped them win the league title.{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesc/china08.html |title=China 2008 |date=3 Apr 2009 |accessdate=2012-08-07 |url-status=live |website=RSSSF |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100721030528/http://www.rsssf.com/tablesc/china08.html |archivedate=2010-07-21 }} After finally establishing himself as a regular within the side throughout the 2009 campaign the club brought in Branko Ivanković the following season to win back the league title, however this saw Liu Zhao limited to only four league appearances while Shandong won the 2010 Chinese Super League.{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesc/china2010.html|title=China 2010|date=21 Jun 2012|website=RSSSF|accessdate=2012-08-07}} After being unable to break back into the team the following season and with his contract now finished, Liu Zhao would decide to leave the club.{{cite web|url=http://sports.cn.yahoo.com/ypen/20120102/793633.html |title=鲁能首批离队名单出炉 主帅滕卡特归队仍有调整 |publisher=sports.cn.yahoo.com |date=2012-01-02 |accessdate=2012-08-07 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415113407/http://sports.cn.yahoo.com/ypen/20120102/793633.html |archivedate=2012-04-15 }}
Honours
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Webarchive |url=https://archive.today/20100523231817/http://sodasoccer.com/search/player/0A53B3227918D0EA.html |date=May 23, 2010 |title=Player profile at sodasoccer.com }}
- {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090828055421/http://www.lnts.com.cn/official/datumshow.asp?datumid=22 |date=August 28, 2009 |title=Player profile at Shandong Luneng website }}
- {{WorldFootball.net|zhao-liu}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liu, Zhao}}
Category:Chinese men's footballers
Category:Footballers from Qingdao
Category:Shandong Taishan F.C. players
Category:Chinese Super League players
Category:Men's association football defenders