Gu Chao (; born 20 August 1989) is a Chinese former professional footballer.
He was later banned from football-related activities in China for life over allegations of match-fixing and other forms of corruption.
Club career Gu Chao joined the Genbao Football Academy in 2000 and was promoted to Shanghai East Asia's first team squad during the 2006 season. He played regularly as the starting goalkeeper and made an impression within the team as Shanghai won promotion to the second tier in the 2007 season.
On 15 March 2011, Gu transferred to Chinese Super League side Hangzhou Greentown for a fee of ¥2 million.东亚门将顾超转会绿城 卖五主力徐根宝冲超目标不变 at sina.com.cn 2011-03-16 Retrieved 2013-08-20 On 6 July 2011, he made his debut for Hangzhou in a 1–1 away draw against Dalian Shide.绿城6战5分掉队争冠集团 一套阵容何谈称霸中超 at sohu.com 2011-07-06 Retrieved 2013-08-20 He mainly played as the backup goalkeeper for Jiang Bo in the 2011 season and 2012 season. However, it was not until the 2014 season when Gu cemented his role as the team's starting goalkeeper.
On 31 December 2015, Gu moved to Chinese Super League side Jiangsu Suning on a five-year contract with a transfer fee of ¥50 million,江苏官方宣布签约顾超 前绿城门将五年合约加盟 at sports.sohu.com 2015-12-31 Retrieved 2015-12-31 which being above Wang Dalei's transfer record fee of ¥30 million, made him the most expensive goalkeeper in China.江苏苏宁宣布顾超加盟 转会费打破3000万元纪录 at sports.sohu.com 2015-12-31 Retrieved 2016-01-05 He played as a back-up for Zhang Sipeng at the beginning of the season. Gu made his debut for Jiangsu on 9 April 2016 in a 1–0 win against Henan Jianye. He became the first choice goalkeeper of the club after the match.中超-吉翔凌空抽射绝杀 苏宁1-0建业积10分领跑 at sports.163.com 2016-04-09 Retrieved 2016-11-03 At the end of the 2020 Chinese Super League he would repay the club by winning the league title with them. On 28 February 2021, the parent company of the club Suning Holdings Group announced that operations were going to cease immediately due to financial difficulties.
On 15 March 2021, Gu returned to Hangzhou by joining second tier club Zhejiang FC on a free transfer. In his first season back he quickly established himself as a vital member of the team as the club gained promotion to the top tier at the end of the 2021 campaign.
On 10 September 2024, Chinese Football Association announced that Gu was banned from football-related activities in China for life for involving in match-fixing.
International career Gu was called up to the senior China squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC third round against South Korea and Iran. Gu made his debut for China on 6 September 2016 in a 0-0 draw against Iran, coming on as a substitute for injury Zeng Cheng in the 12th minute.世预赛-武磊失单刀伊朗逃点球 国足0-0平 at sports.sohu.com 2016-09-06 Retrieved 2016-09-06
Career statistics Statistics accurate as of match played 31 January 2023.顾超 at sodasoccer Retrieved 2015-11-01 + Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational CupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsShanghai East Asia2006China League Two --- 2007 --- 2008China League One220---2202009190---190201090---90Total500000000500Hangzhou Greentown2011Chinese Super League400000-4020121010--20201313010--140201430000--300201530010--310Total780300000810Jiangsu Suning2016Chinese Super League2507020-34020172002010-230201830040--340201922000--220202018030--210Total115016030001310Zhejiang FC2021China League One30000-203202022Chinese Super League23010--240Total530100000540 Career total296020030203210
Honours
Club Shanghai East Asia China League Two: 2007
Jiangsu Suning Chinese Super League: 2020
References
External links