Xavier Chen (; born 5 October 1983) is a former professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
who played as a
right-back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
. He began his youth career with
Anderlecht
Anderlecht (, ) is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the south-western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Forest, Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, and Saint-Gilles, as well as the ...
before moving to
KV Kortrijk where he first played at senior level (2003–2007). After Kortrijk, he spent six years at
KV Mechelen (2007–2013) and two at
Guizhou Renhe
Beijing Chengfeng Football Club () was a professional Chinese football club that last participated in the Chinese League One under licence from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The team was based in Fengtai District, Beijing and their h ...
(2013–2015) before returning to KV Mechelen. Born in Belgium, he represented
Chinese Taipei
"Chinese Taipei" is the term used in various international organizations and tournaments for groups or delegations representing the Republic of China (ROC), a country commonly known as Taiwan.
Due to the One-China principle stipulated by th ...
at international level.
Personal life
Chen was born to a French mother and a Taiwanese father. His paternal grandfather is a former diplomat who still lives in
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
.
Club career
Chen started his senior career in
KV Kortrijk, but gained recognition in his first stint with
KV Mechelen, where he became captain. Due to the inconvenience of traveling back and forth between Belgium and Taiwan, Chen decided to move to Chinese side
Guizhou Renhe
Beijing Chengfeng Football Club () was a professional Chinese football club that last participated in the Chinese League One under licence from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The team was based in Fengtai District, Beijing and their h ...
when he accepted
CTFA's invitation to play for the national team. In January 2016, Chen returned to KV Mechelen, stating that he only wanted to play for a maximum of three years in China. A few Chinese teams showed interest to sign him, but he ultimately decided to return to his country of birth. Altogether, Chen spent seven seasons with KV Mechelen.
International career
Chen's eligibility to play for
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
was discovered by the
Chinese Taipei Football Association
Chinese Taipei Football Association (CTFA) is the governing body for football in the Republic of China (commonly known as Taiwan). Its official name in Chinese is the Republic of China Football Association, but due to the political status of Taiw ...
public relations director Chen Chia Ming in 2009, and Chen was invited to play for the national team. The
Chinese Football Association
The Chinese Football Association (CFA) is the governing body for association football, beach soccer and futsal in People's Republic of China (Mainland China). The CFA organizes the men's and women's national teams and administers the country's ...
had also made an attempt to recruit Chen three months after
CTFA. On 24 May 2011, encouraged by his relatives in Taiwan, Chen elected to play for Taiwan.
Chen made his international debut against
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
on 3 July 2011 and scored the winning goal. This marked the first time in 10 years that Taiwan beat an opponent that was ranked in the FIFA top 150. The attendance of the game was a record breaking at 15,335, which was 10,000 higher than the average. On 9 October 2015, Chen scored CTFA's third goal in a 5–1 victory over
Macau
Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...
.
International goals
:''Scores and results list Taiwan's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Chen goal.''
Honours
Guizhou Renhe
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Chinese FA Cup
The Chinese FA Cup (, abbreviated as CFA Cup) is the national knockout cup competition in China organized by the Chinese Football Association. Its current holders are Shandong Taishan, having beaten Shanghai Port in 2021 for a record seventh titl ...
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2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
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Chinese FA Super Cup
The Chinese FA Super Cup (), formerly named Chinese Football Super Cup (), is a pre-season association football, football competition held before the season begins in China PR, China. It is a Chinese football championship contested by the winners ...
:
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Chen, Xavier
1983 births
Living people
People from Sint-Agatha-Berchem
Taiwanese footballers
Belgian footballers
Association football fullbacks
Chinese Taipei international footballers
Belgium youth international footballers
Belgian people of Taiwanese descent
Belgian people of French descent
Taiwanese people of French descent
Belgian Pro League players
Chinese Super League players
K.V. Kortrijk players
K.V. Mechelen players
Beijing Renhe F.C. players
Taiwanese expatriate footballers
Taiwanese expatriate sportspeople in China
Belgian expatriate footballers
Belgian expatriate sportspeople in China
Expatriate footballers in China
Footballers from Brussels