Yao Diran (; born 23 April 1996) is a Chinese 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 lea ...

who plays as a

centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

for club Guangxi Pingguo.

Career

Early career

Born in

Xi'an Xi'an is the list of capitals in China, capital of the Chinese province of Shaanxi. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong plain, the city is the third-most populous city in Western China after Chongqing and Chengdu, as well as the most populou ...

, his senior career began at Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic, where he was a member of a

2016 China Amateur Football League The 2016 China Amateur Football League season was the 15th season since its establishment in 2002. It is the highest amateur association football league in PR China with some semi-professional clubs. 44 clubs were qualified for the second round. ...

squad that won promotion to the

2017 China League Two The 2017 Chinese Football Association Division Two League season was the 28th season since its establishment in 1989. The league was expanded to 24 teams, with 12 teams in North Group and 12 teams in South Group. Team changes To League Two ...

. Yao spent 2017 and 2018 in the reserve team of

China League One The Chinese Football League 1 (), also known as China League One or Chinese Jia League (), is the second level of professional football in China, under the Chinese Super League. The league is under the auspices of the Chinese Football Association ...

club

Dalian Transcendence Dalian Transcendence Football Club () was a Chinese football club based in Dalian, Liaoning. Founded in 2013, the club played in the Chinese professional league between 2014 and 2018. They quit from the professional league and turn as amateur in ...

, before a move to the reserve team of fellow China League One side Inner Mongolia Zhongyou the following year. In 2020, Yao played for Qinghai Oulu International in the 2020 CMCL season.

Shanxi Longjin

In 2021, Yao signed for

China League Two The Chinese Football League 2 (), or China League Two, is the third-tier association football league of the People's Republic of China. The league is under the auspices of the Chinese Football Association and operated by the Chinese Professional ...

club Shanxi Longjin after a trial at the club, and made his debut against Hebei Kungfu in the first game of the season on 16 May 2021. Yao quickly became a starter for the club, as they went unbeaten in the first stage of the season. Yao scored his first senior goal on 17 July 2021 in a game against Dandong Tengyue.

Guangxi Pingguo Haliao

Following Shanxi Longjin's dissolution in April 2022, Yao joined China League One club

Guangxi Pingguo Haliao Guangxi Pingguo Football Club (; ) is a Chinese professional Association football, football club based in Pingguo, Guangxi, that competes in . Guangxi Pingguo plays its home matches at the Pingguo Stadium, located within Pingguo. Founded in 2018 ...

. In his 12 league games, Yao provided 1 assist for the club.

Dandong Tengyue

In 2023, Yao made a move to newly promoted China League One side Dandong Tengyue. Yao made 27 appearances in the league, where he provided a vital assist against

Guangzhou Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...

to secure survival for Dandong. On 23 June 2023, Yao scored a 90th-minute equaliser to put a

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. The current holders are Shanghai Port, having beaten Shandong Taishan in 2024 for their first title. H ...

tie against Qingdao Hainiu to penalties, but it would end in a loss for Yao's Dandong Tengyue in the shoot-out.

Shaanxi Union

On 1 January 2024, China League Two side Shaanxi Union announced that Yao had signed for the club on a two-year contract.

Return to Guangxi Pingguo

On 24 January 2025, Yao made a return to China League One side Guangxi Pingguo.

Style of play

Yao has been described by Shaanxi Union as being aggressive in one-on-one situations and being able to use his height advantage on the pitch.

Career statistics

Club

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Yao, Diran 1996 births Living people Chinese men's footballers Footballers from Shaanxi Men's association football central defenders China League One players China League Two players 21st-century Chinese sportsmen Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic F.C. players Dalian Transcendence F.C. players Inner Mongolia Zhongyou F.C. players Shanxi Longjin F.C. players Guangxi Pingguo F.C. players Dandong Tengyue F.C. players Shaanxi Union F.C. players