Zhao Songyuan
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Zhao Songyuan | |||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 7 April 2009 | |||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Beijing, China | |||||||||||||
| Height | 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) | |||||||||||||
| Position | Striker | |||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||
| 2021– | Tsinghua University High School | |||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||
| 2025– | China U17 | 18 | (20) | |||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||
| ‡ National team caps and goals as of 21 August 2026 | ||||||||||||||
Zhao Songyuan (simplified Chinese: 赵松源; traditional Chinese: 趙松源; pinyin: Zhào Sōngyuán; born 7 April 2009) is a Chinese footballer who plays as a striker the China U17 national team.
Early life
Born in Haidian, Beijing on 7 April 2009, Zhao Songyuan's mother worked as a volleyball coach, while his father worked as a football coach. He received primary school education at Tsinghua University High School-Shangdi, and started participating in school competitions during fourth grade. However, he was often disadvantaged as he had slow pace due to his height. Football commentator Dong Lu worked as his mentor and recruited Zhao to Dong's Chinese Football Boy program. While continuing junior high school at Tsinghua University High School, his footballing talent was discovered by the school's Korean coaching crew, and became a starter for the team.[1]
In September 2025, Zhao followed Beijing U16 as they won a gold medal for football at the 2025 National Games of China.[2]
International career
Zhao first entered the radar of China's national team setup at the U15 level in 2024.[3] In November 2025, he was called up play in the 2026 AFC U-17 Asian Cup qualifiers for China U17.[4] Making appearances in four of China's five matches, Zhao scored eleven goals as China advanced onto the final tournament.[5] For his performances, he was recognised as one of the nominees for the 2025 Chinese U17 Golden Boy.[6] In the 2026 AFC U-17 Asian Cup, he scored four goals in six matches as China came as runners-up in the tournament, helping China qualify for a first FIFA U-17 World Cup after a twenty-one-year absence.[7]
In a friendly tournament in August 2026, Zhao scored two goals for China U17 against Arsenal in a 3–2 victory, followed by a goal and an assist as a substitute against Bayer Leverkusen.[8][9] Arsenal head coach Adam Pilling praised Zhao's performance against them, while Bayer Leverkusen head coach Kevin Brok remarked positively on Zhao's positioning and technique.[10][11]
Honours
China U17
- AFC U-17 Asian Cup runner-up: 2026
Beijing U16
References
- ↑ "17岁身高1米94、技术细腻，就读清华附中的他会成为"中国哈兰德"？". www.163.com (in Chinese). 11 August 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
- ↑ "十五运会U16男足比赛收官 北京队战胜湖北队夺冠". sports.cctv.com (in Chinese). 16 September 2025. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
- ↑ "中国足球协会关于组织U-15国家男子足球选拔队2024年第三期集训的通知". www.thecfa.cn (in Chinese). 27 March 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
- ↑ "国少参加U17亚洲杯预选赛名单：邝兆镭、万项在列，谢晋入选". www.dongqiudi.com (in Chinese). 21 November 2025. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
- ↑ "五战全胜 中国队晋级U17亚洲杯正赛". www.thecfa.cn (in Chinese). 1 December 2025. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
- ↑ "2025中国U17金童奖候选名单：魏祥鑫、邝兆镭入选，万项在列". www.dongqiudi.com (in Chinese). 15 December 2025. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
- ↑ "U17男足亚洲杯决赛中国队憾负日本队收获亚军". www.news.cn (in Chinese). 23 May 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
- ↑ "U17国少3-2阿森纳U17，程晟涵读秒绝杀，赵松源1挑5破门+造乌龙". www.dongqiudi.com (in Chinese). 3 August 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
- ↑ "U17国少一分钟两球2-1逆转十人勒沃库森U17，赵松源轰世界波+助攻孔玺诺破门". www.dongqiudi.com (in Chinese). 6 August 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
- ↑ "阿森纳U17主帅：中国队的表现确实很棒，很多球员表现出色". www.dongqiudi.com (in Chinese). 4 August 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
- ↑ "勒沃库森梯队主帅：对赵松源印象深刻，他位置感和空间感很好". www.dongqiudi.com (in Chinese). 10 August 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
External links
- Zhao Songyuan at Soccerway