This is a Chinese name; the family name is Gao.

Gao Hongbo

Personal information
Full name	Gao Hongbo
Date of birth	25 January 1966 (1966-01-25) (age 43)
Place of birth	Beijing, China
Height	1.79 m
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	China (manager)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1985-1993	Beijing Guoan
1994	Tanjong Pagar United
1995-1996	Beijing Guoan
1997-1998	Guangzhou Songri
1985–1998	Total	332 (45)
National team
1992–1997	China	019 0(7)
Teams managed
1997–1999	Guangzhou Songri(assistant)
1999	Guangzhou Songri
2000	China U-17
2001	Shanghai Zhongyuan(assistant)
2003–2004	China(assistant)
2004–2006	Xiamen Hongshi
2007–2008	Changchun Yatai
2009–	China
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Gao Hongbo (Chinese: 高洪波, born January 25, 1966) is the current head coach of the China national football team. Appointed in May 2009, Gao became the youngest man to take the helm in 30 years. Gao was a big name in his professional life as a footballer. He was a prolific striker who was famous for his agility in the box and fine ability in finishing. In 1998, he started his coaching career with several Chinese clubs, and he was an assistant of Dutchman Arie Haan in the China national team between 2002 and 2004. Gao made his biggest achievement as a coach in 2007, as he led Changchun Yatai to take the title of the CSL.

[edit] Playing career

[edit] Club career

Born in Beijing, Gao Hongbo was discovered and coached by Xu Genbao in the Beijing sports school. A talented youngster he would then join the Beijing Youth Football Team in 1981 where after several years he would be promoted to the senior Beijing team (now Beijing Guoan) in 1985. With them he would gradually establish himself within the team, yet it wasn't until Beijing were in the second tier and when they won premotion in 1990 that Gao Hongbo would rise to prominance^[1]. Once in the top tier his career would flourish and by the early 1990s he had become a integral member within the team where he would personally win the golden ball and golden boot award despite not winning a major trophy. In 1994 he left the team to play in Singapore for Tanjong Pagar United citing the difficulty to pass the physical standard test of the football association.

After winning the best scorer in the Singapore league with Tanjong Pagar United in 1994, Gao Hongbo would return to the newly formed fully professional Beijing Guoan club and would immediately make in impact when he scored 21 times in the following two years. After winning the Chinese FA Cup in 1996, he left Beijing Guoan and would join Guangzhou Songri in the second tier where he would reteam with previous coach Xu Genbao and help the club win premotion to the top tier in 1997 when he led the league in scoring with 18 goals^[2]. Already offered an assistant coach position at the club before the 1998 league season he would offically retire from playing when the season finished.

[edit] International career

After his impressive displays for Beijing he would make his senior debut on April 4, 1992 as a substitute in a friendly against USA in a game where China lost 5-0 to achieve their biggest recorded defeat^[3]. Despite the defeat he would still be included in the squad that took part in qualification for the 1992 AFC Asian Cup where he even scored his debut goal against Malaysia on April 23, 1992^[4]. When China successfully qualified he would be included in the squad that would come third in the tournament, however it was in the 1994 qualification process for the World Cup that saw Gao Hongbo establish himself as a prominent member of the Chinese squad but despite his best efforts he was unable to help them qualify. After several years out of the team new manager Bobby Houghton would bring him back in to play several friendlies and a World Cup Qualifier against Vietnam that China won 3-1 on May 25, 1997 which was to be his last game before he retired.

[edit] Managerial career

[edit] Guangzhou Songri

Xu Genbao would appoint Gao Hongbo as his assistant player coach when he signed him in the 1997 league season before he left the team to coach the defending champions Dalian Wanda. The next season saw him replaced by Aristeu Tavares and Gao would remain as his assistant, however Aristeu Tavares left Guangzhou Songri at the end of the 1998 league season and Gao Hongbo would succeeded him as the head coach of the team at the beginning of the 1999 league season at the tender age of 33. He would, however quickly run into trouble with his players and would leave the club after only 11 matches despite have a decent start to the season and he would go abroad to study coaching. He studied in several clubs in London and Southampton, and his long-time teammate Yang Chen invited him to study in Germany as well.

[edit] China U-17

After several months of studying, Gao Hongbo was appointed the coach of the national U-17 team. Although the team eliminated South Korea despite of Koreaphobia and qualified from group stage in the AFC U-17 Championship 2000, the 1-7 defeat to Japan essentially ended his job.

After the game, Gao Hongbo resigned from the national post and returned to help Xu Genbao in coaching Shanghai Zhongyuan. This duo again won the promotion to Jia A and left the club together in 2002.

Gao Hongbo worked as an assistant coach in the national team between 2003 and 2004. After Wu Jingui, the coach of the new champion Shanghai Shenhua, was introduced to the national team, he left the team to coach Xiamen Hongshi.

[edit] Xiamen Hongshi

Gao Hongbo's career in Xiamen was a surprising success and he was able to transform Xiamen Hongshi into potential premotion contenders when he was able to take them to third within 2004 second tier. The following season would see them actually win the table and premotion into the 2005 Chinese Super League.

[edit] Changchun Yatai

He lead Changchun Yatai as League Champions in 2007. Gao was dismissed by Changchun in 2008 as the club struggled to repeat their form of the previous season.

[edit] China

On 16 April 2009 signed a contract as Head Coach from the China national football team.^[5] Serbian Vladimir Petrovic was the last full-time coach but his contract was not renewed after China was eliminated from the qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Gao is the first Chinese national team coach that was chosen through an open selection procedure, which included four other candidates: Wu Jingui (former Shanghai Shenghua coach), Yin Tiesheng (previous temporary caretaker manager) and Shen Xiangfu (under-23 team coach).

In his debut as manager, China drew 1–1 with Germany in Shanghai on 29 May 2009.^[6] China defeated Iran 1–0 in a friendly match just three days later.^[6] With the two positive results against Germany and Iran, hopes have been raised amongst Chinese fans that Hongbo will lead the national team into a new, more prosperous era.

With the 2010 World Cup qualification passed, Gao will be charged with securing qualification for the 2011 Asian Cup.

[edit] See also

• For more information, see 2009 in Chinese football

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• FIFA.com - FIFA Player Statistics: GAO Hongbo

Preceded by Wu Qunli	Chinese Football Association Golden Ball awardee 1991	Succeeded by Fu Yubin
Preceded by Wu Qunli	Chinese Football Association Golden Boot awardee 1989	Succeeded by Zhu Youhong
Preceded by Sun Wei	Chinese Football Association Golden Boot awardee 1992	Succeeded by No record
Preceded by Ljubiša Tumbaković	Chinese Football Association Coach of the year 2007	Succeeded by Ljubiša Tumbaković

v • d • e China Squad – 1992 AFC Asian Cup Third Place 1 Yubin Fu • 2 Feng Zhigang • 3 Dong Liqiang • 4 Fan Zhiyi • 5 Xu Hong • 6 Li Bing • 7 Wu Qunli • 8 Gao Hongbo • 9 Hao Haidong • 10 Cai Sheng • 11 Li Xiao • 12 Xie Yuxin • 13 Li Ming • 14 Gao Zhongxun • 15 Zhao Lin • 16 Jia Xiuquan • 17 Peng Weiguo • 18 Cheng Yaodong • 19 Zhu Bo • 20 Ou Chuliang • Coach: Schlappner