Christopher van Huizen
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 28 November 1992 | ||
Place of birth | Singapore | ||
Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Tampines Rovers FC | ||
Number | 7 | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2014–2015 | Tampines Rovers | 17 | (1) |
2015- | LionsXII | 11 | |
2016- | Tampines Rovers | 5 | (1) |
International career‡ | |||
2014 | Singapore U21 | ||
2015- | Singapore | 4 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 05:24, 26 November 2014 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:19, 29 March 2016 (UTC) |
Christopher James van Huizen (born 28 November 1992) is a Singaporean professional footballer who currently plays for Tampines Rovers and Singapore. He plays as a midfielder.
Club career
Christopher went for trials with Geylang International when he was young and duly impressed the coaches at Geylang was rewarded with a place at the Geyland U-16 squad. He was due to play for S.League giants Tampines Rovers' Prime League squad when he turned 17 but saw his opportunity derailed by National Service. Disillusioned, he rejected the chance to play for the SAFSA team during his 2 years of service and almost gave up on continuing professional football.[1]
A second chance came calling for Christopher when he entered the professional football scene in Singapore through his involvement in a MediaCorp Channel 5 TV series, First XI.[2][3]
Tampines Rovers
Following his performance in the reality TV series, Tampines Rovers coach Rafi Ali offered Christopher a two-year contract to play for both the Prime League and the S.League teams.[4]
LionsXII
Alongside Sahil Suhaimi, Wahyudi Wayid and Izzdin Shafiq, Christopher was unveiled as one of the new LionsXII signings by Fandi Ahmad for the 2015 Malaysia Super League season. This marks a remarkable turnaround for the "boy from the reality series" to a potential national team player.[5]
He made his LionsXII debut as a substitute in the opening game of the season, coming on to make a brief cameo appearance against PDRM FA in a 5-3 victory for the Lions.[6]
Tampines Rovers
Following the exit of LionsXII from the Malaysia Super League, Christopher rejoined Tampines Rovers. He scored his girst goal of the season in a 1-2 win over Garena Young Lions, helping the Stags climb to joint-top of the 2016 S.League season.[7]
International career
Having impressed in his first season in the 2014 S.League Season, Christopher was rewarded with a call-up to the Singapore U-21 squad, by Richard Bok, for the Thanh Niên Cup in Vietnam.[8][9]
He made his senior team international debut in a 3-0 loss against Japan, coming on with 10 minutes left on the clock.[10] He earned his third cap in a friendly against Myanmar, coming on for the final 15 minutes of the game.[11]
Honours
Club
- LionsXII
- FA Cup Malaysia: 2015
References
- ^ http://www.fourfourtwo.com/sg/features/van-huizen-firstxi-lionsxii
- ^ "Christopher Van Huizen Player Profile". xinmsn. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
- ^ "Football really is a beautiful game". TODAY. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
- ^ "Stags arrive in Phonm Penh for pre-season training tour". Tampines Rovers FC. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
- ^ http://www.fourfourtwo.com/sg/features/van-huizen-firstxi-lionsxii
- ^ http://www.fourfourtwo.com/sg/features/fourfourtwo-player-ratings-lionsxii-5-pdrm-3
- ^ "Young Lions Give Stags A Run For Their Money".
- ^ http://www.fourfourtwo.com/sg/features/van-huizen-firstxi-lionsxii
- ^ http://www.fas.org.sg/news/announcement-under-21-squad-vietnam-newspaper-cup
- ^ "Van Huizen looking for more after dream debut". FourFourTwo.
- ^ "Shock recall gives Van Huizen hope for Suzuki Cup spot with Singapore". ESPNFC.
External links
- Christopher James van Huizen at Soccerway