Oliver Gerbig

Oliver Benjamin Gerbig (Chinese: 周緣德; pinyin: Zhōu Yuándé; born 12 December 1998) is a Hong Kong professional footballer of partial German descent who currently plays as a centre back for Hong Kong Premier League club Kitchee.

Oliver Gerbig
周緣德
Personal information
Full name Oliver Benjamin Gerbig
Date of birth (1998-12-12) 12 December 1998
Place of birth Happy Valley, Hong Kong
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Centre back
Team information
Current team
 Kitchee
Number 18
Youth career
2008–2014 Inter Taoyuan
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2020 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers 35 (0)
2020–2021 Virginia Cavaliers 29 (1)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2018 Royal Blues
2018 Taipei Red Lions
2022– Kitchee 18 (0)
International career‡
2017–2018 Hong Kong U-20
2019 Hong Kong U-23 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 13 May 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 5 August 2022

Gerbig has played for Hong Kong U-20, Royal Blues and Taipei Red Lions in the Taiwan Football Premier League. In 2018, he began playing NCAA Division I Men's Soccer at Coastal Carolina University in the United States. Since 2020, he has transferred to the University of Virginia.

Amateur career

In April 2015, Gerbig began playing for Royal Blues in Taipei at the age of 16. In his debut match, a league match against Taichung City on 1 November 2015, he was substituted in at 41 minutes, and 4 minutes later, he scored his first goal with a long shot.[1] This goal contributed to Royal Blues winning the game 3–1.

In April 2018, Gerbig joined the Taipei Red Lions,[2] but he suffered a knee injury during this time. Not only did he leave the team after only three months of playing for the Taipei Red Lions, but he also missed the 2018 Asian Games.

In July 2018, Gerbig went to the United States to study at Coastal Carolina University and represented the Coastal Carolina Men's Soccer Team in NCAA Division I Men's Soccer.[3] In two years, he appeared in 35 matches as the main centre back.[4][5] In the second year, he helped the team win the 2019 Sun Belt Conference and qualified for the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament.[6]

On 29 February 2020, Gerbig announced his transfer to the University of Virginia on the social media, where he would represent Virginia Cavaliers Men's Soccer. University of Virginia is a top school for the NCAA Men's Soccer Division I program in the United States. The team has qualified for the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament over 40 times and won 7 championships. It also finished as runner-up in 2019.

Professional career

Kitchee

On 24 July 2022, Kitchee announced an agreement for Gerbig to join in the 2022–23 season.[7]

On 19 August 2022, Gerbig made his professional debut in the AFC Champions League Round of 16 match against BG Pathum United.

International career

Gerbig represented Hong Kong U-20 in the 13th National Games of the People’s Republic of China in 2017.[8][9][10] In the 2018 Asian Games the following year, although Gerbig was once again selected for the 40-man roster of Hong Kong U-23, he had to sit out on the Asian Games due to injury.[11]

Gerbig was called up again in the 2020 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers and played for the first time against North Korea U-23, where Hong Kong U-23 lost by two goals in the final match.[12]

Personal life

Gerbig was born and raised in Hong Kong. He attended the Discovery Bay International School, where he began playing football. He moved to Taiwan at the age of 5.

After moving to Taiwan, Gerbig attended Taipei European School. He transferred to Taipei American School two years later, where he graduated high school in 2017.

Honours

Club

Kitchee

References
  1. "Oliver Gerbig | Royal Blues Debut - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  2. "Oliver Gerbig - New Player for Red Lions F.C." Facebook.
  3. Blondin, Alan. "Grand Strand high school player among 18 Coastal Carolina soccer signings".
  4. "Oliver Gerbig - CCU Men's Soccer Profile". Coastal Carolina University Athletics. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
  5. "2020 Men's Soccer Schedule". Coastal Carolina University Athletics. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
  6. "MSOC Game Notes SBC CS (PDF)" (PDF). Coastal Carolina University Athletics. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
  7. "【亞冠盃】傑志重簽費蘭度 周緣德首效力本地球會". 體路. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  8. "Oliver Gerbig UVA Player Profile". Virginia Cavaliers Official Athletic Site. 2020-07-17. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  9. "DSE殺到 U20港足點兵難 搵埋台甲腳踢全運". www.upower.com.hk (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 2017-03-24. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  10. "U20港足全運預賽負山東 來仗鬥浙江或遇張玉寧". www.upower.com.hk (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 2017-03-27. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  11. "Hong Kong U-22 Representative Team Preliminary Squad".
  12. "【U23亞盃外】港足吞朝鮮兩蛋 出線決賽周機會渺茫 (15:32) - 20190326 - 體育". 明報新聞網 - 即時新聞 instant news (in Traditional Chinese). Retrieved 2021-01-18.
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