Newcomers Rising! The Youthful Shift in the Chinese Super League: U23 Once Needed Policy Support, Now U21 Takes Initiative

Reported by Chen Yong Previously, U23 players found it hard to secure a foothold in the CSL, which led to the Football Association implementing policies to encourage and protect them. Still, strange occurrences such as starters being replaced immediately and only coming on during added time happened. But in the 2025 season, U21 players are already fighting for spots. While a complete generational shift is yet to happen, the trend toward youthfulness in the CSL is very evident.

This season, young players in the CSL have not only performed excellently but have also become noticeably younger. In our selection of the 2025 CSL U21 Best XI, there are 3 players aged 21, 5 aged 20, and 3 aged 19. Correspondingly, U21 players have contributed an impressive 35 goals and 26 assists this season.

The CSL is becoming younger and more vibrant, naturally inspiring hope for the league’s future and for Chinese football’s climb out of its low point. Currently, most young CSL players are from the 2005/06 age group, but many outstanding talents have also emerged from the 2007/08 and 2009/10 cohorts. Tracking data indicates that players born in 2011/12 and 2013/14 are generally even more promising.

Our comprehensive selection for the 2025 CSL U21 Best XI primarily references technical statistics. We adopted a conventional 4-4-2 formation, although a few players are placed in positions they have occasionally played rather than their main roles. Due to the large influx of young players, besides the best XI, we also selected a second U21 squad for 2025 in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

【Goalkeeper: Li Hao, a Highly Watched Rising Star】

In the 2021 season, only two U21 goalkeepers appeared in the league—Xue Qinghao and Ci Henglong—each with just one appearance. This season, six U21 goalkeepers have played, with Li Hao shining the brightest, making 29 appearances (including starts and substitutions). Following him are Guo Jiayu with 12 appearances, Yu Jinyong with 7, An Zhicheng with 3, and Wang Hanyi and Chen Xing each with 1.

Li Hao’s position is unshakable. Except for a suspension due to accumulating four yellow cards in round 29, he has played every other match, ranking 4th in saves, 5th in punches, and 3rd in claims. More importantly, his performance is very consistent, making him a popular choice among the national team’s young goalkeepers.

【Defender: Yang Xi, the Right-Back Coveted by Top Teams】

In defense, right-back Yang Xi (21 appearances, 20 starts) holds an indisputable position and is highly sought after by many strong teams during this winter’s transfer window. At center-back, competition is fierce. Changchun Yatai’s main center-back He Yiran (24 appearances, 19 starts, 1 assist) and champion club Shanghai Port’s center-back Wumitijiang (21 appearances, 19 starts) have very high appearance rates, securing their spots. Additionally, Shandong Taishan’s Peng Xiao and Zhejiang’s Zhang Aihui, who have grown stronger in the latter half of the season, are also worth watching.

The left-back spot remains uncertain. Xuan Zhijian is closer to a traditional left-back and is followed by several clubs. Reports suggest Changchun Yatai aims to rejuvenate their squad next year to build a stronger team for a comeback in the CSL, so his departure seems unlikely. Shanghai Port’s Li Xinxiang (23 appearances, 7 starts, 6 goals, 3 assists) can fill this position and has outstanding stats. Although Li Xinxiang is better suited to midfield or forward, the left midfield star Wang Yudong’s position is untouchable, so we placed Li Xinxiang at left-back in the Best XI. A 3-4-1-2 formation might suit him better.

【Midfield: Wang Yudong, the Top Domestic Scorer in CSL】

The double defensive midfielders are Xu Bin (27 appearances, 21 starts, 3 assists) and Yang Haoyu (22 appearances, 8 starts, 3 goals, 1 assist). Xu Bin is Qingdao West Coast’s main defensive midfielder, while Yang Haoyu’s high appearance rate in a title-contending team is remarkable. Yang plays further forward than Xu, hence scoring more goals. These two are the best performing U21 central midfielders in 2025 CSL. Additionally, Fan Shuangjie has performed well when deployed as a defensive midfielder.

Wang Yudong (28 appearances, 27 starts, 11 goals, 5 assists) is the top domestic scorer in the CSL this season. He is a model young player for 2025 and one of the league’s leading domestic figures.

On the right wing, Mao Weijie (23 appearances, 10 starts, 1 goal, 1 assist) mainly focuses on that position, with a significantly higher appearance rate than Kuai Jiwen (18 appearances, 4 starts, 5 assists). Kuai can play centrally or on the right wing. Unless a striker is added to shift to a 4-2-3-1 formation, both strikers’ excellent performances make this choice the toughest in our Best XI selection.

【Forward Line: Strong Abilities and Outstanding Stats】

Liu Chengyu (17 appearances, 9 starts, 5 goals) and Zhu Pengyu (29 appearances, 18 starts, 2 goals, 4 assists) are both strikers but not traditional target men; they possess strong ball control and movement skills. Liu Chengyu’s 17 appearances and 9 starts for a title-contending team are impressive, and his 5 goals prove his scoring ability. Their stats are excellent, making them the natural choice for the two-striker formation.

Four years ago, in 2021, Football Newspaper selected the best “post-2000” lineup (U21 Best XI) featuring Xue Qinghao, Wu Shaocong, Jiang Shenglong, Zhu Chenjie, Ablahan, Wang Haijian, Zhou Junchen, Tan Kaiyuan, Liu Zhurun, Tao Qianglong, and Zhang Wei. Among them, 7 were 21 years old: Xue Qinghao, Wu Shaocong, Jiang Shenglong, Zhu Chenjie, Wang Haijian, Zhou Junchen, and Zhang Wei; 4 were 20 years old: Ablahan, Tan Kaiyuan, Liu Zhurun, and Tao Qianglong; no players under 20 were included.

That season had only 22 CSL rounds, but only 4 foreign players played simultaneously, giving more chances to domestic players. Their appearances were as follows:

Zhou Junchen: 19/15 appearances, 1 goal; Wu Shaocong: 19/13, 1 goal, 1 assist; Jiang Shenglong: 17/17; Ablahan: 17/6, 1 goal; Tao Qianglong: 16/9, 2 goals, 1 assist; Zhang Wei: 14/10, 2 goals; Zhu Chenjie: 13/13; Liu Zhurun: 10/6, 2 goals; Tan Kaiyuan: 10/0, 3 goals; Wang Haijian: 7/4, 3 goals; Xue Qinghao: 1/1.

Together, these 11 players totaled 143 appearances, a participation rate of just 59.09% (143/242). This U21 Best XI scored 14 goals and provided 2 assists.

Four years later, in 2025, the U21 Best XI includes only three 21-year-olds: Li Hao, Xu Bin, and Wumitijiang; five 20-year-olds: Yang Xi, He Yiran, Li Xinxiang, Mao Weijie, and Zhu Pengyu; and three 19-year-olds: Yang Haoyu, Wang Yudong, and Liu Chengyu.

In addition, the outstanding Kuai Jiwen is also 19. Yang Mingrui, who scored this season, is 18, and Wei Xiangxin is only 17, becoming the first player born in 2008 to score in the CSL.

From an age perspective, the youth trend in the 2025 CSL season is very clear. After the U23 policy was implemented, various unusual phenomena appeared. Now that the U23 policy has been canceled, players aged 21, 20, 19, and even 18 and 17 are emerging. Although it is not yet a large-scale generational takeover, the CSL’s youth movement is a very obvious trend.

In terms of data, the 2025 CSL U21 Best XI made a total of 264 appearances, reaching an 80% participation rate (264/330), a significant increase compared to 59.09% in 2021. This season’s U21 Best XI scored 28 goals, twice that of 2021, and provided 18 assists, nine times more than 2021. Overall, 2025 CSL U21 players have totaled 35 goals and 26 assists.

In fact, the two newly promoted CSL teams also have many outstanding young players. For example, Chongqing Tongliang Long’s 22-year-old Xiang Yuwang (29 appearances, all starts) ranks fourth in the scorers list with 18 goals, topping the domestic scorers, along with 2 assists; 22-year-old Li Zhenquan (28 appearances, 27 starts) has 3 goals and 3 assists.

Regarding U21 players, Chongqing Tongliang Long’s 21-year-old left-back Zhang Yingkai (25 appearances, 16 starts) has 1 goal and 1 assist; 19-year-old Zhang Zhixiong (25 appearances, 22 starts) has 5 goals and 1 assist; 19-year-old Wu Yongqiang (21 appearances, 8 starts) has 2 goals and 2 assists; 19-year-old Bai Yutao (18 appearances, 5 starts) and 19-year-old goalkeeper Yao Haoyang with 17 starts, plus 18-year-old goalkeeper Wu Zitong with 13 starts, all have impressive stats. For Liaoning Ironmen, 19-year-old Sun Kangbo (15 appearances, all starts) has 1 assist, and 18-year-old Zhang Jiaming (13 appearances, 3 starts) has 1 goal and 2 assists. These players will compete in the CSL next year and are worth watching.