Yapp Hung Fai (, ; born 21 March 1990) is a

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

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 currently plays as a

goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...

for

Hong Kong Premier League The Hong Kong Premier League () is a Hong Kong professional football league organised by the Football Association of Hong Kong, China. It is currently sponsored by BOC Life and officially known as BOC Life Hong Kong Premier League (). The inau ...

club

Eastern Eastern or Easterns may refer to: Transportation Airlines *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 192 ...

. He currently keeps the record for being the most capped player of the

Hong Kong national football team The Hong Kong national football team (; recognised as Hong Kong, China by FIFA) represents Hong Kong in international association football, football and is controlled by the Football Association of Hong Kong, China, the governing body for foot ...

, with 105 caps in total.

Club career

Born in a Hakka family, Yapp finished his studies at Form 5 level. He was accepted by Queen's College Old Boys Association Secondary School for Form 6 but he gave it up to pursue his football dream. He had already represented Hong Kong at under-17 level.

Workable

Yapp Hung Fai started his professional career at Workable when he was only 17 under coach

Lee Kin Wo Lee Kin Wo (; born 20 October 1967) is a former Hong Kong professional footballer who played as a winger. Lee won the Hong Kong Footballer of the Year award three times during his career. He holds an AFC "A" License. Club career Lee made ...

and

Chan Hiu Ming Chan Hiu Ming (; born 19 March 1975) is a Hong Kong professional football manager who is currently the head coach of Chinese Taipei. He holds an AFC Pro License and is also a coaching and fitness instructor for the Asian Football Confederation ...

in 2007.traditional Chines
生得逢時　避過外援氾濫潮時勢造英「鴻」
Apple Daily. 28 January 2010 His salary was only HK$5,000. During his time at Workable FC, he helped the team to an unexpected 1:0 win against

South China AA South China Athletic Association (known simply as South China, SCAA, ) is a Hong Kong professional sports club with a football team competing in the Hong Kong First Division League, Hong Kong First Division, the second-tier league in Hong K ...

in the 2007-08 Hong Kong League Cup.

Pegasus

Yapp Hung Fai moved to

Pegasus Pegasus (; ) is a winged horse in Greek mythology, usually depicted as a white stallion. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa. Pegasus was the brother of Chrysaor, both born from Medusa's blood w ...

in 2009. After helping the club beat

Citizen AA The Citizen Athletic Association (), simply known as Citizen or TCAA, is a Hong Kong athletic club. Its football team () currently competes in the Hong Kong First Division, the second tier of Hong Kong football. The club has a long history in ...

2:1 to win the 2009-10 Hong Kong FA Cup and qualify for the

2011 AFC Cup The 2011 AFC Cup was the eighth edition of the AFC Cup, a football competition organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for clubs from "developing countries" in Asia. Allocation of entries per association *2 teams qualified from eac ...

, Yapp Hung Fai announced that he will join league champions

along with teammate

Lau Nim Yat Lau Nim Yat (, born 4 December 1989) is a Hong Kong former professional footballer who played as a full back. Honours ;Hong Kong *2009 East Asian Games The 2009 East Asian Games, officially known as the V East Asian Games, was an internati ...

. Yapp said he decided to join South China before the game and South China's Hong Kong location will be easier for him to attend school. He is also not worried about competing with

Zhang Chunhui Zhang Chunhui (; born 13 March 1983) is a Chinese-born Hong Kong football coach and former professional footballer. Club career Zhang was selected in the Hong Kong Top Footballer Awards (Best XI Squad) in the 2006–07 season. On 2 July 20 ...

for the starting goalkeeper place.

South China

In 2010, Yapp Hung Fai moved to Hong Kong First Division League champions

. On 29 September 2010, during

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...

's chief scout Ian Broomfield's visit to South China, he praised Yapp for his enormous potential. "He appis not tall, but his reactions are sharp and he is quick to come out of the box to block strikers. He is also very committed and very well disciplined." After defeating

East Bengal East Bengal (; ''Purbô Bangla/Purbôbongo'') was the eastern province of the Dominion of Pakistan, which covered the territory of modern-day Bangladesh. It consisted of the eastern portion of the Bengal region, and existed from 1947 until 195 ...

in the

game at home on 14 April 2011, South China striker

Mateja Kezman Mateja () is a given name, variant of the Greek given name ''Mathias'' ( Matthew). In Serbian, it's a masculine name, while in Croatian and Slovene, it's a feminine name. Notable people with the name include: Given name * Mateja Andrlić (born 199 ...

suggested that Yapp Hung Fai has what it takes to play in European football leagues. During the summer of 2013, Yapp had agreed to a 4.5-year contract with

Guizhou Renhe Beijing Chengfeng Football Club ( zh, s=北京橙丰, t=北京橙丰, p=Běijīng Chéngfēng) was a professional Chinese Association football, football club that last participated in the Chinese League One under licence from the Chinese Footbal ...

. However, his registration was denied by the

Chinese Football Association The Chinese Football Association (), abbreviated as CFA (), is the governing body for association football, beach soccer and futsal in the People's Republic of China (Mainland China). The CFA organizes the men's and women's national teams an ...

on the grounds that Yapp did not qualify as a domestic player and as such, would violate the

Chinese Super League The Chinese Football Super League (), commonly known as the Chinese Super League or the CSL (), also known as the China Resources Beverage Chinese Football Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Ch ...

stipulations which require all keepers to be domestic players.

Eastern

In June 2014, Yapp returned to

after his contract with

South China South China ( zh, s=, p=Huá'nán, j=jyut6 naam4) is a geographical and cultural region that covers the southernmost part of China. Its precise meaning varies with context. A notable feature of South China in comparison to the rest of China is ...

expired. In 2016, Yapp helped Eastern win the first

Trophy. On 28 September 2020, Yapp also helped Eastern win the

2019–20 Hong Kong FA Cup The 2019–20 Hong Kong FA Cup was the 46th edition of the Hong Kong FA Cup. 10 teams entered this edition, with 2 games played in the First Round before the quarter-final stage. The competition was only open to clubs who participated in the 201 ...

. It is the fifth FA cup trophy for Eastern.

International career

On 11 February 2010, at the age of 19, Yapp made his senior debut for

in a

2010 East Asian Football Championship The 2010 EAFF East Asian Football Championship was the fourth edition of the tournament which was held between 6 and 14 February 2010. Two preliminary competitions were held during 2009. Participating teams Preliminary Round 1 * * * * Round ...

match against

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. In 2011, Yapp took part in the 2014 FIFA World Cup Asian qualification matches for Hong Kong against

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

. Hong Kong lost the tie 0–8. In the 2012 Guangdong-Hong Kong Cup, the first match at

Hong Kong Stadium Hong Kong Stadium is the main sports venue of Hong Kong. Redeveloped from the original Government Stadium, it reopened as Hong Kong Stadium in March 1994. It has a maximum seating capacity of 40,000, including 18,260 at the main level, 3,173 at ...

ended 2–2. After the second match ended as 0–0 in Huizhou Stadium, Yapp Hung-Fai saved three penalties in the penalty shoot-out to help Hong Kong win by 5–4. He is once again hailed as Hong Kong's cup winning hero. On 10 September 2019, Hong Kong played against

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

in a match of 2022 FIFA World Cup Asian qualification. Yapp got his 71st cap for the

national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...

with FIFA "A" international match, making him the most capped player of the team. On 26 December 2023, Yapp was named in Hong Kong's squad for the

2023 AFC Asian Cup The 2023 AFC Asian Cup was the 18th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It involved 24 national teams after its expansion in 20 ...

. On 21 March 2024, Yapp made crucial saves against

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian qualification match. However, the game ended in a 0–2 defeat for Hong Kong. On 8 December 2024, Yapp got his 100th cap for the

after playing against

Mongolia Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...

in a 2025 EAFF E-1 Football Championship Preliminary Round match.

Honours

Club

South China *

Hong Kong First Division The Hong Kong First Division League () is the second-highest division in the Hong Kong football league system. Established in 1908, it is the third oldest in Asia, after Calcutta and Bombay. Moreover, it is the oldest top-flight league system ...

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

Hong Kong FA Cup Hong Kong FA Cup () is a knockout cup competition in Hong Kong football, run by and named after The Hong Kong Football Association. The first edition of the competition was held in 1975, before then the cup was known as the Golden Jubilee Cup. T ...

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

Hong Kong League Cup Hong Kong Football Association League Cup () was an annual football competition contested by clubs in the top-tier Hong Kong domestic football league. The cup was relaunched for the 2014–15 season after being discontinued in the 2012–13 seaso ...

Pegasus *

: 2009–10 Eastern *

: 2015–16 *

: 2019–20, 2023–24, 2024–25 *

Hong Kong Senior Shield The Hong Kong Senior Challenge Shield (), known commonly as the Senior Shield, is the football knockout inter-club competition held in Hong Kong and the fourth oldest football tournament in Asia. Traditionally, only teams that play in the Hong K ...

: 2019–20, 2024–25 *

Hong Kong Sapling Cup Hong Kong Sapling Cup (), currently known as JC Sapling Cup () for sponsorship reasons, is a Hong Kong domestic football (soccer), football competition contested by the Hong Kong Premier League teams. The objective of the Cup is to provide more p ...

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

International

Hong Kong U-23 *

East Asian Games The East Asian Games was a multi-sport event organized by the East Asian Games Association and held every four years from 1993 to 2013. Among those who competed included athletes from East Asian countries and territories of the Olympic Council ...

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

: Gold

Individual

* Hong Kong Best Youth Player: 2010, 2013 * Hong Kong Premier League Team of the Year: 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2020–21, 2021–22 *

Hong Kong Footballer of the Year The Hong Kong Top Footballers Awards (), established by the Hong Kong Football Association in 1978, recognizes the top performers for each season's Hong Kong Premier League. The prizes are decided according to the votes from mass media and the ...

: 2016

Career statistics

Club

''As of 14 May 2023'' ;Notes

International

Player profile

Yapp has excellent speed and reflexes, making him an ideal one-on-one goalkeeper. He has a great ability of rushing out and closing down the attacker, and can react quickly to shots. He is also an excellent penalty kick saver, having saved penalties on multiple big occasions. However, Yapp is susceptible to crosses and corner kicks due to his lack of height.

References

External links

*
Yapp Hung Fai
at HKFA * {{DEFAULTSORT:Yapp, Hung Fai 1990 births Living people Hong Kong people of Hakka descent Hakka sportspeople Men's association football goalkeepers Eastern Sports Club footballers Hong Kong Pegasus FC players 21st-century Hong Kong sportsmen South China AA players Hong Kong First Division League players Hong Kong Premier League players Hong Kong men's footballers Hong Kong men's youth international footballers Hong Kong men's international footballers Footballers at the 2010 Asian Games Footballers at the 2014 Asian Games 2023 AFC Asian Cup players Asian Games competitors for Hong Kong

Club career

Workable

Pegasus

South China

Eastern

International career

Honours

Club

International

Individual

Career statistics

Club

International

Player profile

See also

References

External links