Ming-yang Yang

In this Chinese name, the family name is Yang.

Yang Mingyang (Chinese: 杨明洋; pinyin: Yáng Míngyáng; born Ming-yang Yang; 11 July 1995) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Chinese Super League Chengdu Rongcheng. He represented Switzerland at youth level, before giving up his Swiss passport to receive the Chinese citizenship in 2024.^[1]

Yang Mingyang

Personal information
Full name	Yang Mingyang
Birth name	Ming-yang Yang
Date of birth	(1995-07-11) 11 July 1995 (age 29)
Place of birth	Basel, Switzerland
Height	1.72 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Chengdu Rongcheng
Number	16
Youth career
2001–2010	Fribourg
2011–2012	Neuchâtel Xamax
2012–2013	Lausanne-Sport
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2013–2017	Lausanne-Sport II	15	(0)
2013–2017	Lausanne-Sport	81	(1)
2017	FC Winterthur	3	(0)
2017	FC Winterthur II	1	(0)
2017–2020	Wolverhampton Wanderers	0	(0)
2018–2019	→ FC Jumilla (Loan)	29	(0)
2020–2021	Grasshoppers	0	(0)
2021–2024	Nantong Zhiyun	115	(10)
2025–	Chengdu Rongcheng	0	(0)
International career‡
2010	Switzerland U16	4	(0)
2012	Switzerland U18	3	(0)
2013–2014	Switzerland U19	8	(0)
2014–2016	Switzerland U20	5	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 31 December 2022 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 17 August 2020

Early life

Yang was born in Basel, Switzerland to father Yang Zhihong, a professor of physiology at Fribourg University. His father originates from Wuhan, China and emigrated to Switzerland after he received a medical doctor's degree from Basel University in the 1990s.^[2] Yang began his football career with FC Fribourg youth team in 2001. He transferred to Neuchâtel Xamax in 2011 and moved to Lausanne-Sport in 2012.

Club career

Yang was promoted to Lausanne-Sport's first team squad in the summer of 2013. On 14 July 2013, he made his senior debut in a 2–0 away defeat against FC Luzern.^[3]

After a short spell with FC Winterthur, on 31 August 2017, Yang joined English Championship club Wolverhampton Wanderers on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee.^[4]

On 26 February 2021, Yang joined second tier Chinese football club Nantong Zhiyun.^[5] He would go on to make his debut in a league game on 25 April 2021 against Nanjing City in a 1–1 draw.^[6] This would be followed by his first goals for the club in a league game on 21 May 2021 against Nanjing City in a 3–1 victory.^[7] He would go on to establish himself within the team and helped the club gain promotion to the top tier at the end of the 2022 China League One season.^[8]

On 18 February 2025, Yang joined Chinese Super League club Chengdu Rongcheng.^[9]

Career statistics

Statistics accurate as of match played 31 December 2022.^[10]

Club	Season	League			National Cup		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Lausanne-Sport	2013–14	Swiss Super League	18	0	2	1	-		-		20	1
	2014–15	Swiss Challenge League	27	0	1	0	-		-		28	0
	2015–16	Swiss Challenge League	32	1	2	0	-		-		33	1
	2016–17	Swiss Super League	4	0	1	0	-		-		5	0
	Total		81	1	6	1	0	0	0	0	87	2
Team Vaud U21	2013–14	2. Liga Interregional	2	0	-		-		-		11	0
	2016–17	Swiss 1. Liga	13	0	-		-		-		13	0
	Total		15	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	15	0
FC Winterthur	2017–18	Swiss Challenge League	3	0	1	0	-		-		4	0
FC Winterthur U21	2017–18	Swiss 1. Liga	1	0	-		-		-		1	0
Wolverhampton Wanderers U23s	2017–18	PL 2, Div 2	3	0	-		-		0[a]	0	3	0
	2018–19	PL 2, Div 2	1	0	-		-		0[a]	0	1	0
	2019–20	PL 2, Div 1	2	0	-		-		0[a]	0	2	0
	Total		6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
FC Jumilla (Loan)	2018–19	Segunda División B	29	0	0	0	-		1[b]	0	30	0
Grasshoppers	2020–21	Swiss Challenge League	0	0	1	0	-		-		1	0
Grasshoppers U21	2020–21	Swiss 1. Liga	4	1	-		-		-		4	1
Nantong Zhiyun	2021	China League One	33	7	1	0	-		-		34	7
	2022	China League One	30	3	0	0	-		-		30	3
	Total		63	10	1	0	0	0	0	0	64	10
Career total			202	12	9	1	0	0	1	0	212	13

1. Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
2. Appearance(s) in Segunda División B Relegation play-off