Yue Tze Nam
Yue Tze Nam is a Hong Kong professional footballer who currently plays as a right back for China Super League club Beijing Guoan and the Hong Kong national team.
Early life and education
Yue was introduced to football by his father and began playing at the age of 4 at King George V Memorial Park near his home in Sai Ying Pun. At age 6, he joined the Orca Football Academy for formal training.He later moved to the youth team Little Nam Kwok, co-founded by his father, where he regularly participated in training camps and youth tournaments across the region. His teammates during this period included Tan Chun Lok, Leung Nok Hang, and Dai Wai Tsun. In 2009, Little Nam Kwok received sponsorship from local professional club Eastern, after which Yue competed in Hong Kong Football Association youth competitions under Eastern's banner.
Yue became a member of the Hong Kong youth representative teams in 2011, playing for various age groups and occasionally serving as captain. However, due to following misguided fitness advice, he developed anorexia nervosa, which caused him to miss Hong Kong's historic qualification for the AFC U-16 Championship finals in 2014.
Yue attended Diocesan Boys' School in Hong Kong, where he captained the school team to victory in the 2015 Hong Kong Inter-School Football Elite Championship while still a Form 4 student.
He later moved to the United Kingdom to study at Oswestry School, representing the school team in competitive matches. During his three years in the UK, Yue also played for local amateur club Oswestry, earning the Player of the Match award on several occasions. He trained with EFL Championship club Swansea City and attracted interest from their satellite partner, Major League Soccer side D.C. United. He was subsequently introduced by an agent to Welsh Premier League club The New Saints, but the transfer fell through due to work permit issues.
Club career
Eastern
In the 2017–18 season, following the revamped Sapling Cup rules requiring each team to field at least two U22 players per match, Eastern's then-vice chairman Lee Kin Wo invited the eligible Yue to return to his parent club and compete in the competition while still completing his studies in the UK. Yue shuttled between England and Hong Kong to balance academics and professional football. On 29 October 2017, he made his professional debut starting in a Sapling Cup group stage match against Tai Po, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–5 defeat. On 14 April 2018, Yue made his Hong Kong Premier League debut against Lee Man, starting and playing 70 minutes.After graduating from secondary school, Yue returned to Hong Kong full-time for the 2018–19 season. Playing primarily as a midfielder, he struggled for minutes amid competition from foreign imports and senior local players. In late 2018, he started against Pegasus but was substituted after 43 minutes due to a poor performance. In February 2019, recommended by Eastern's youth director Wong Chun Yue, Yue trialled with Liga Portugal 2 club Cova Piedade, a partner of Eastern. He planned a two-year stint in Portugal but returned to Hong Kong that summer after failing to adapt to life abroad and integrate into the squad.
In the 2019–20 season, Yue played all eight Sapling Cup group stage matches but could not help Eastern advance to the final. Hong Kong football was severely disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic from March 2020, with a six-month suspension until September. Eastern won both the Senior Shield and FA Cup that season, giving Yue his first taste of professional silverware, though his involvement in both cup runs was minimal.
Seeking regular playing time, Yue was loaned to newly promoted Resources Capital for the 2020–21 season. Apart from the match against Eastern, he started nearly every league game, scored his first professional league goal in the final fixture, and provided six assists across the campaign.
Returning to Eastern in 2021–22, Yue was converted into a right-back by new head coach Roberto Losada, cementing his place as a starter.
Meizhou Hakka
In July 2022, Yue's impressive performances for Hong Kong at the EAFF Championship caught the eye of Chinese Super League club Meizhou Hakka's general manager Cao Yang. In August 2022, Eastern announced Yue's transfer to Meizhou on a three-and-a-half-year contract. In his debut half-season in the Chinese Super League, Yue made 17 appearances, scoring twice and providing three assists. He came off the bench in the 15th round against Dalian Pro and started in the 16th round against Hebei, immediately providing two assists—one from a left-footed cross and another after beating multiple defenders. In the 24th round against Henan, he scored a late winner in stoppage time for his first CSL goal. In the 32nd round against Changchun Yatai, he netted a spectacular 30-yard strike to secure victory.In the 2023 season, Yue remained a regular starter, appearing in 27 league matches, scoring once and assisting once. On 12 July 2023, in the 16th round, he assisted Rodrigo Henrique in a 3–1 win over Beijing Guoan. On 8 August 2023, in the 21st round, he scored in a 4–2 victory against Changchun Yatai.
On 3 August 2024, in the 21st round, Yue scored to help Meizhou Hakka defeat Tianjin Jinmen Tiger 3–2.
In the 2025 season, Yue scored after 1 minute and 28 seconds on 29 March in the third matchday. This was the second-fastest goal in Meizhou Hakka's CSL history, and give his side an early lead against Shandong Taishan. On 6 May during matchday 11, he struck a low drive from the edge of the box in the 85th minute, though Meizhou ultimately lost 1–3 to Shanghai Shenhua. On 4 October, in the rescheduled matchdat 24, Yue's long-range effort secured a 1–0 win over Qingdao Hainiu, earning three crucial points in the relegation battle. His contract with Meizhou Hakka ran until the end of the season.
Beijing Guoan
On 14 January 2026, Yue joined fellow Chinese Super League club Beijing Guoan.International career
In October 2018, Yue was called up by newly appointed Hong Kong head coach Gary White for friendlies against Thailand and Indonesia. White praised his energetic and versatile style.On 16 October 2018, he earned his senior debut as a 90th-minute substitute in a 1–1 away draw with Indonesia. He travelled to Taiwan for the 2019 EAFF Championship second-round qualifiers in November but did not feature.
In January 2019, Yue was selected for the youthful Hong Kong squad at the 41st Guangdong–Hong Kong Cup. He scored a stunning volley from outside the box in the second leg, helping Hong Kong to a 4–0 win and the trophy. In March, he started all three matches for the Hong Kong U23 at the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship qualifiers in Mongolia, scoring against the hosts, though Hong Kong finished with one win, one draw, and one loss. On 11 June 2019, he made his first senior start in a 0–2 friendly loss to Chinese Taipei, playing 78 minutes as a right midfielder. He was not called up for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers or the 2019 EAFF Championship finals.
Yue returned to the senior team in June 2022 for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup third-round qualifiers in India, starting the first two victories before missing the final match against the hosts due to a positive COVID-19 test. Hong Kong qualified as one of the five best runners-up. In July 2022, he started all three matches at the 2022 EAFF Championship finals in Japan.
In 2023, Yue featured in Hong Kong's 2026 World Cup qualifiers. In December, he was named in the final squad for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.
On 30 May 2025, Yue played 45 minutes in a friendly as Hong Kong fell 1–3 to visiting Manchester United, defensively matched against Alejandro Garnacho. On 10 June 2025, in Hong Kong's first match at the new Kai Tak Sports Park, Yue started in a 1–0 Asian Cup qualifier victory over India.