CHANGCHUN YATAI FC
Changchun Yatai FC are based in Changchun, Jilin and play their home games in the Development Area Stadium. The club’s founder and main investor is Jilin Yatai Group. The club was founded on 6th June 1996. They initially played in China’s third-tier but after a merger with Bayi Chaoneng earned a place in the country’s second division. Changchun were involved in a match-fixing scandal which resulted in the Chinese FA denying them promotion. Changchun Yatai eventually reformed and applied for a license to play in the CSL. They won the CSL in 2007 and participated in the 2008 Asian Champions League. They also finished runner-up in the 2009 Super League.
MANAGER
Lee Jang-Soo is the current manager of Changchun Yatai. He took over the reins in 2016. Changchun Yatai is not the first club managed by Lee in China. He previously managed Chongqing Lifan, Beijing Guoan, Guangzhou Evergrande, and Chengdu Tiancheng. He led Guangzhou to the tier two title and then won the Super League in the next season. He is the longest serving foreign boss in China. He also had a successful spell in South Korea with Seoul FC.
INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS
Former Watford striker Odion Ighalo is the most high profile player on Changchun Yatai’s payroll. He had a highly successful spell in the Premier League. He also played for Granada and had a less influential spell at Udinese. He is also a full Nigeria International.
Marinho joined Changchun Yatai in 2017. He had spells in Brazilian teams like Cruzeiro, Internacional and Fluminense. He has not made an International appearance yet for Brazil.
Anzur Ismailov has been with Changchun Yatai since 2011. He has made over 150 appearances for the club. He is fast closing in on 100 appearances for Uzbekistan.
Jack Sealy has been with Changchun since 2016. He was born in London but opted to play for Hong Kong. He has made over a dozen appearances for Hong Kong. He previously played for South China before joining Changchun.
Bruno Meneghel joined Changchun in 2016. He previously played for Qingdao Jonoon.
RECORD SCORER
Marcelo Moreno is Changchun’s top scorer with 22 goals. Wenzhao Zhang is second on the list with 15 goals. Among the current players, Zhenyu Du has scored 14 goals. Second among the current players is Anzur Ismailov has 12 goals.
RIVALRIES
Changchun Yatai has rivalries with Liaoning FC and Yanbian Funde due to close proximity to the two clubs.
HONOURS
Chinese Super League (2007)
Chinese Jia-B (2003)