Yu Tao

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.{{cite web |url=http://www.national-football-teams.com/player/20810.html |title=Yú, Tāo |website=National-Football-Teams.com |access-date=2012-04-09}} 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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesc/china03.html |title=China 2003 |publisher=Rsssf.com |date=2004-04-18 |access-date=2012-04-09}} 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.{{cite web |url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/2011-03/31/content_12300071.htm |title= Details of soccer referee investigation released to public|publisher=chinadaily.com.cn|date=2011-03-31|access-date=2014-05-20}}{{Cite web|url=http://english.cri.cn/8046/2013/02/18/189s748945.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130410040530/http://english.cri.cn/8046/2013/02/18/189s748945.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 10, 2013|title=China Strips Shenhua of 2003 League Title, Bans 33 People for Life|publisher=english.cri.cn|date=18 February 2013|access-date=2014-05-20}}

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.{{Cite web|url=http://www.china.org.cn/sports/news/2007-02/09/content_1199541.htm |title=Shanghai's Two Major Soccer Clubs to Merge |publisher=China.org.cn |date=2007-02-09 |access-date=2012-04-09}} 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.{{Cite web|url=https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2010/05/08/china-pr/csl/shanghai-shenhua/liaoning-fc/918297/ |title=Shanghai Shenhua 2 - 2 Liaoning Whowin |publisher=Soccerway.com |date= 2010-05-08|access-date=2012-04-09}} 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.{{Cite web|url=https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2010/08/29/china-pr/csl/shanghai-shenhua/dalian-shide/918406/ |title=Shanghai Shenhua 1 - 1 Dalian Shide |publisher=Soccerway.com |date= 2010-08-29|access-date=2012-04-09}}

On 20 December 2012, Yu moved to Shanghai Shenxin on a free transfer, he signed a three-year deal with Shenxin.{{Cite web|url=http://shenhua.online.sh.cn/gb/content/2012-12/20/content_5756270.htm |title=申鑫官方宣布 申花队长于涛正式加盟合同为期三年|publisher=Shanghai online |date= 2012-12-20|access-date=2012-12-20}} On 23 December 2015, Yu transferred to China League One side Beijing Enterprises Group on a free transfer.[http://sports.sina.com.cn/china/j/2015-12-23/doc-ifxmueaa3723521.shtml 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 lang|zh}}

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.{{Cite web|url=http://teamchina.freehostia.com/en/match.php?date=2002-12-07 |title=China 3-1 Syria |publisher=Teamchina.freehostia.com |date= 2002-12-07|access-date=2012-04-09}} 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.{{Cite web|url=http://teamchina.freehostia.com/en/match.php?date=2007-02-07 |title=China 2-1 Kazakhstan |publisher=Teamchina.freehostia.com |date= 2007-02-07|access-date=2012-04-09}} 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.

Shanghai Shenhua

• Chinese Jia-A League: 2003 (revoked due to match-fixing scandal)

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.shenhuafc.com.cn/chiefMember.htm Player Profile] at Shanghai Shenhua website
• [http://www.football-lineups.com/footballer/6572/ Player Profile] at Football-lineups website
• [http://sodasoccer.com/search/player/0BA990A7F85833E1.html Player Profile] at Sodasoccer.com
• {{NFT|20810}}
• {{Soccerway|28530}}
• [http://csldata.sports.sohu.com/player.php?regnum=MP0425 Player stats] at Sohu.com

{{China PR Squad 2011 AFC Asian Cup}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yu, Tao}}

Category:1981 births

Category:Living people

Category:Men's association football midfielders

Category:Chinese men's footballers

Category:Footballers from Shanghai

Category:China men's international footballers

Category:21st-century Chinese sportsmen

Category:Shanghai Shenhua F.C. players

Category:Shanghai Shenxin F.C. players

Category:Beijing Sport University F.C. players

Category:Chinese Super League players

Category:China League One players

Category:2011 AFC Asian Cup players

Category:Footballers at the 2002 Asian Games

Category:Asian Games competitors for China