Yapp Hung Fai (, Cantonese pronunciation: ; born 21 March 1990) is a Hong Kong professional footballer who currently plays as a goalkeeper for Hong Kong Premier League club Eastern. He currently keeps the record for being the most capped player of the Hong Kong national football team, with 99 caps in total.

Club career

Born in a Hakka family, Yapp finished his studies at Form 5 level. He was accepted by Queen's College Old Boys Association Secondary School for Form 6 but he gave it up to pursue his football dream. He had already represented Hong Kong at under-17 level.

Workable

Yapp Hung Fai started his professional career at Workable when he was only 17 under coach Lee Kin Wo and Chan Hiu Ming in 2007. His salary was only HK$5,000. During his time at Workable FC, he helped the team to an unexpected 1:0 win against South China AA in the 2007-08 Hong Kong League Cup.

Pegasus

Yapp Hung Fai moved to Pegasus in 2009. After helping the club beat Citizen AA 2:1 to win the 2009-10 Hong Kong FA Cup and qualify for the 2011 AFC Cup, Yapp Hung Fai announced that he will join league champions South China AA along with teammate Lau Nim Yat. Yapp said he decided to join South China before the game and South China's Hong Kong location will be easier for him to attend school. He is also not worried about competing with Zhang Chunhui for the starting goalkeeper place.

South China

In 2010, Yapp Hung Fai moved to Hong Kong First Division League champions South China AA. On 29 September 2010, during Tottenham Hotspur's chief scout Ian Broomfield's visit to South China, he praised Yapp for his enormous potential. "He [Yapp] is not tall, but his reactions are sharp and he is quick to come out of the box to block strikers. He is also very committed and very well disciplined." After defeating East Bengal in the 2011 AFC Cup game at home on 14 April 2011, South China striker Mateja Kezman suggested that Yapp Hung Fai has what it takes to play in European football leagues. During the summer of 2013, Yapp had agreed to a 4.5-year contract with Guizhou Renhe. However, his registration was denied by the Chinese Football Association on the grounds that Yapp did not qualify as a domestic player and as such, would violate the Chinese Super League stipulations which require all keepers to be domestic players.

Eastern

In June 2014, Yapp returned to Eastern after his contract with South China expired. In 2016, Yapp helped Eastern win the first Hong Kong Premier League Trophy. On 28 September 2020, Yapp also helped Eastern win the 2019–20 Hong Kong FA Cup. It is the fifth FA cup trophy for Eastern.

International career

Hong Kong

On 11 February 2010, at the age of 19, Yapp made his senior debut for Hong Kong in a 2010 East Asian Football Championship match against Japan. In 2011, Yapp took part in the 2014 FIFA World Cup Asian qualification matches for Hong Kong against Saudi Arabia. Hong Kong lost the tie 0–8. In the 2012 Guangdong-Hong Kong Cup, the first match at Hong Kong Stadium ended 2–2. After the second match ended as 0–0 in Huizhou Stadium, Yapp Hung-Fai saved three penalties in the penalty shoot-out to help Hong Kong win by 5–4. He is once again hailed as Hong Kong's cup winning hero. On 10 September 2019, Hong Kong played against Iran in a match of 2022 FIFA World Cup Asian qualification. Yapp got his 71st cap for the national team with FIFA "A" international match, making him the most capped player of the team. On 26 December 2023, Yapp was named in Hong Kong's squad for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. On 21 March 2024, Yapp made crucial saves against Uzbekistan in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian qualification match. However, the game ended in a 0–2 defeat for Hong Kong.

Honours

Club

South China Pegasus Eastern

International

Hong Kong U-23

Individual

Career statistics

Club

As of 14 May 2023

International

Player profile

Yapp has excellent speed and reflexes, making him an ideal one-on-one goalkeeper. He has a great ability of rushing out and closing down the attacker, and can react quickly to shots. He is also an excellent penalty kick saver, having saved penalties on multiple big occasions. However, Yapp is susceptible to crosses and corner kicks due to his lack of height.