From Kitchee academy to the Hong Kong team

In September 2025, the Kitchee Centre in Shek Mun celebrated its tenth anniversary, providing a dedicated space for Kitchee's senior team and academy to train. In November 2025, Kitchee's academy was awarded the 'Youth Academy of the Year (Boys) at the AFC awards in Malaysia. Kitchee Academy has previously earned 2 star certification from the AFC Elite Youth Scheme, and from its initial formation as the Hong Kong Barcelona Football School in 2008, to the change to Kitchee Football Academy in 2011, it has provided free training to players between the ages of 6-22, giving them opportunities to compete locally and overseas. A number of players currently in Hong Kong's squad for the crucial Asian Cup qualifier with Singapore spent some of their development years at Kitchee, and here we look at how their careers progressed, while also looking at those around the squad in recent months. We are aware that in recent years the path from the academy to Kitchee's first team has stagnated in recent years, and that a number of these players would have not reached the heights they have had they stayed with Kitchee.

Current squad

Ngan Cheuk-pan, 27 years old, 21 caps, Tai Po

Joined Kitchee in 2008, and left permanently in 2025. Left Kitchee temporarily for NCAA commitments and loans during his seventeen years, but made over 50 senior appearances before joining Tai Po this summer. Won three league titles, including the treble winning campaigns of 2016/17 and 2022/23. A key part of Westwood's setup, having made his debut under Andersen without being a regular squad player.

Sun Ming-him, 25 years old, 41 caps, 2 goals, Tianjin Jinmen Tiger

The versatile player spent his early career at Kitchee, before leaving as a teenager. Spent many years in the Hong Kong Premier League before moving to the Chinese Super League in early 2024, first with Cangzhou and now with Tianjin. Debuted for Hong Kong aged eighteen and has been in and around the squad ever since, and will probably reach 50 caps in the next year or so. 

Barak Braunshtain, 26 years old, uncapped, Lee Man

Born in Hong Kong to Israeli parents, he joined Kitchee as a child and made his debut for the club aged eighteen. Scored in the victorious 2020 Sapling Cup final. He left Kitchee in 2021 to pursue a career in Israel, before returning to Hong Kong in 2024, with spells at Eastern, Rangers and now Lee Man. His early years being spent in Hong Kong made him eligible for a Hong Kong passport, which he finally received in November 2025 after a long process, and was instantly added to the squad.

Jesse Yu Joy-hin, 24 years old, 19 caps, 2 goals, Shijiazhuang Gongfu

Like a number of young Hong Kong footballers, Jesse played for multiple youth teams, with Kitchee being one of them for a short time. He later played professionally in Hong Kong for Happy Valley, Rangers and Eastern, before moving to Shijiazhuang in China League One at the start of this year. He made his international debut aged twenty, and while he hasn't been a regular starter he has always been around the squad.

Matt Orr, 28 years old, 45 caps, 12 goals, Shenzhen Peng City

He joined Kitchee aged eleven, before moving to the USA to the famous IMG Academy and eventually at NCAA level, while training with Kitchee in his breaks. He eventually made his Kitchee debut in early 2020, spending two and a half years at the club and appearing over fifty times. He then moved to Guangxi Pingguo Haliao in China League One, where his goalscoring exploits earned him a move to Shenzhen in the Chinese Super League, although his minutes have been limited. After three goals in his first six Hong Kong games, he had a two year international goal drought. But under the management of Westwood (and Luisser's interim spell before) he has scored nine goals in his last nineteen games. Often deputised as captain, and approaching 50 caps.

Michael Udebuluzor, 21 years old, 20 caps, 2 goals, Tallinna Kalev
Michael was at Kitchee as a youngster, having been born in Hong Kong to Nigerian striker Cornelius Udebuluzor during his own playing career. Michael left Kitchee aged fourteen to move to Germany, where he developed and played in the lower leagues of German football. In 2025 he had agreed a move to Suzhou Dongwu of China League One, but his controversial comments following the EAFF tie between Hong Kong and China saw this contract cancelled, and instead he moved to Tallinna Kalev in the Estonian first tier. He made his international debut in September 2023, and has been fairly regular in squads under both Andersen and Westwood, even if he has not scored since his second appearance.

Called up to a senior Hong Kong squad in 2025

Sohgo Ichikawa, 21 years old, 2 caps, Southern

He progressed from the Kitchee academy to the first team, making twenty-eight appearances after debuting aged sixteen. On the fringes for most of his time at the club, he spent two seasons on loan at Southern before joining them permanently this summer. Got a HK debut aged seventeen, before earning his second cap nearly three years later. On the fringes of the squad, but given the age of other attacking midfielders it seems likely he will earn more caps in the future when these players move on.

Clement Benhaddouche, 29 years old, 2 caps, Shenzhen Juniors

At Kitchee at the same time as schoolfriend Matt Orr, he also moved to the USA and IMG Academy, before playing NCAA at the University of Massachusetts. Rejoining Kitchee in early 2019, he made forty-four appearances, and won the treble before he left for China. After eighteen months where he was dogged by a couple of major injuries, he returned to HK with Eastern in early 2025, before moving back to China League One in the summer. Had to wait until the age of twenty nine for a debut this summer, and given his age and other options opportunities will likely be limited moving forward.

Anson Wong Ho-chun, 23 years old, 2 caps, Qingdao Hainiu

The versatile attacker began his career in Kitchee's youth academy, before moving to South China, where he broke through for a senior debut in the second tier aged sixteen. He later moved on to Lee Man and then Eastern, before moving to Qingdao in the Chinese Super League at the start of 2025. Despite playing in the Chinese top tier (albeit not starting regularly) this has not translated into regular Hong Kong minutes, with both of his caps being earned well before his move.

Here we have nine players recently in squads, and there is a whole host of Hong Kong internationals around the Hong Kong Premier League where Kitchee played some part in their youth development. Also, Shinichi Chan was at Kitchee as a teenager, but he joined the first team aged sixteen. In a different way, Yue Tze-nam is pictured in the Barcelona Football School days, but from our research Kitchee is not listed on his transfermarkt or Wikipedia profiles, and he was at Eastern from the age of ten. Therefore, we do not list them as Kitchee played a very minor part in their development. 

We expect to see more former academy players on the biggest stage in the years to come, with numerous youth internationals currently or formerly in the Kitchee academy setup. Who will be the next to break through and become a key part of the Hong Kong national team?