Gai Yang

Gai Yang (; born 2 January 1987) is a Chinese former footballer.

Club career Born in Shenyang, Liaoning, Gai moved to Dalian with his father when he was young. Though he reportedly played for Dalian Shide, Gai himself stated that he merely trained with a number of clubs in China, and was a free agent. Having impressed on trial, club owner Robert Louis-Dreyfus personally travelled to Beijing to sign the two-year contract to bring him to Marseille.

In preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, the China Olympic team arranged a friendly against Marseille. Gai featured for Marseille in this friendly for a mere 15 minutes, which he later stated was regrettable, as he had hoped to be included in the final squad.

In 2007, with Gai's contract with Marseille set to be terminated, he returned to China. On his return, he was unable to find a professional club to sign with, and eventually resorted to playing amateur football while studying football coaching. He would go on to the Beijing Sport University to study for his master's degree.

Personal life Yang is the son of former Chinese international footballer Gai Zengchen. His uncles, Gai Zengsheng, Gai Zengxian and Gai Zengjun were all also professional footballers.