Christopher van Huizen


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In this article, the surname is van Huizen, not Huizen.

Christopher James van Huizen (born 28 November 1992) is a Singaporean professional footballer who plays as a full-back or winger for Singapore Premier League club Lion City Sailors and the Singapore national team.

Christopher van Huizen

Van Huizen in action for Lion City Sailors in the 2023–24 AFC Champions League

Personal information
Full name Christopher James van Huizen
Date of birth 28 November 1992 (age 31)
Place of birth Singapore
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s) Full-back / Winger
Team information

Current team

 Lion City Sailors
Number 22
Youth career
–2010 Geylang United
2010–2012 Tampines Rovers
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2014 Tampines Rovers 4 (1)
2015 LionsXII 18 (3)
2016 Tampines Rovers 10 (1)
2016 Young Lions 6 (0)
2017–2018 Home United 21 (0)
2019–2021 Geylang International 53 (4)
2022 Tampines Rovers 11 (3)
2023– Lion City Sailors 31 (2)
International career‡
2014 Singapore U21
2015– Singapore 21 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 05:24, 24 December 2022 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20:34, 19 November 2023 (UTC)

Van Huizen went for trials with Geylang United when he was young and duly impressed the coaches at Geylang was rewarded with a place at the Geylang under-16 squad. In 2010, he joined rivals Tampines Rovers' Prime League squad when he turned 17 but saw his opportunity derailed by National Service in 2011. Van Huizen rejected the chance to play for the SAFSA team during his 2 years of service and almost gave up on continuing professional football.[1]

A second chance came calling for Van Huizen when he entered the professional football scene in Singapore through his involvement in a MediaCorp Channel 5 TV series, First XI.[2][3][4]

Following his performance in the reality TV series and the completion of his national service, Tampines Rovers head coach Rafi Ali offered Van Huizen a two-year contract to play for both the Prime League squad and the senior squad that competes in the 2013 S.League.[5]

Van Huizen scored his first professional career goal during the 2014 Singapore League Cup match against Police SA where he scored and assisted a goal in a 9–0 thrashing win on 19 July 2014. He also scored his first league goal in a 2–0 win over Woodlands Wellington on 31 July.

Alongside Sahil Suhaimi, Wahyudi Wayid and Izzdin Shafiq, Van Huizen was unveiled as one of the new LionsXII signings by Fandi Ahmad for the 2015 Malaysia Super League season. This marks a remarkable turnaround for the "boy from the reality series" to a potential national team player.[6]

Van Huizen made his LionsXII debut as a substitute in the opening game of the season, coming on to make a brief cameo appearance against PDRM FA in a 5–3 victory for the Lions.[7] He was part of the squad that won the 2015 Malaysia FA Cup.

Following the exit of LionsXII from the Malaysia Super League, Van Huizen rejoined Tampines Rovers in January 2016. Van Huizen make his AFC Cup debut on 23 March 2016 against Bangladeshi club Shiekh Jamal in a 4–0 win. During a league match against DPMM on 19 March 2016, he assisted twice as Tampines Rovers went on to win 2–1. Van Huizen then scored his first goal of the season in a 1–2 win over Young Lions in the next match on 3 April, helping the Stags climb to joint-top of the 2016 S.League season.[8]

On 1 July 2016, Van Huizen signed for Young Lions midway throughout the 2016 season. This was following a season at Tampines Rovers where he was used sparingly.[9][10]

On 2 January 2017, Van Huizen signed for Home United.[11] He make his debut for the club during the first leg of the 2017 AFC Cup qualifying play-offs against Cambodian club Phnom Penh Crown in a 4–3 away win on 30 January.

Geylang International

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In January 2019, Van Huizen signed for his boyhood club, Geylang International ahead of the 2019 season. On 5 July, he raked up a brace of assist which helped his team settled to a 2–2 draw against Hougang United. In the next match against Home United on 12 July, Van Huizen again picked up a brace of assist but that wasnt enough as Geylang suffered to a 3–2 defeat. On 30 August, he raked up his third brace of assist in the season which helped his team to win 2–1 against Young Lions. Van Huizen recorded 10 assists in the league leading the top assist chart in the 2019 season.[12]

On 15 March 2020, Van Huizen scored a brace which helped his team to win 2–1 against Hougang United during a league match.

On 3 October 2021, Van Huizen recored a hat-trick of assist in a 3–0 win over Balestier Khalsa which won him the 'man of the match' award. However on 11 November 2021, he left Geylang International, considering retirement from football.[13][14]

In January 2022, Van Huizen was given another chance by his former club, Tampines Rovers and signed a one-year deal.[15] He went on to make 27 appearances for the club where he scored 3 goals and assisted twice throughout the 2022 season.

On 20 January 2023, Van Huizen signed for Lion City Sailors on a 18 months contract ahead of the 2023 season.[16] On 13 August, he scored his first goal for the club in a massive 8–2 away victory against Hougang United.[17] On 20 September, he make his 2023–24 AFC Champions League debut in a 2–1 lost against Thailand club Bangkok United. On 4 October, Van Huizen assisted Richairo Živković in the AFC Champions League group stage match to take the lead against Hong Kong side, Kitchee which would see Lion City Sailors ending up in a 2–1 away win.[18][19] In his first season at the club, he won the 2023 Singapore Cup which is his first domestic trophy.

On 22 September 2024, Van Huizen scored his first goal of the 2024–25 season in a 3–1 win against Balestier Khalsa.

International career

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Having impressed in his first season in the 2014 S.League, Van Huizen was rewarded with a call-up to the Singapore under-21 squad, by Richard Bok, for the Thanh Niên Cup in Vietnam.[20][21]

In 2015, Van Huizen was called up to the senior team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.[22] He made his senior team international debut in a 3–0 lost against Japan, coming on with 10 minutes left on the clock.[23] He earned his third cap in a friendly against Myanmar, coming on for the final 15 minutes of the game.[24]

In 2022, Van Huizen was included in the team for the 2022 FAS Tri-Nations Series and 2022 AFF Championship tournament.[25][26]

On 12 October 2023, Van Huizen scored his first international goal against Guam in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers scoring from outside the box with his weak foot. [27][28]

As of match played 23 June 2024[29]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup[a] League Cup[b] Asia Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Tampines Rovers 2014 Singapore Premier League 4 1 0 0 4 1 0 0 8 2
Total 4 1 0 0 4 1 0 0 8 2
LionsXII 2015 Malaysia Super League 18 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 3
Total 18 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 3
Tampines Rovers 2016 Singapore Premier League 10 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 11 1
Total 10 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 11 1
Young Lions 2016 Singapore Premier League 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0
Total 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0
Home United 2017 Singapore Premier League 9 0 3 0 0 0 5 0 17 0
2018 12 0 1 0 0 0 5 0 18 0
Total 21 0 4 0 0 0 10 0 35 0
Geylang International 2019 Singapore Premier League 22 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 23 1
2020 12 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 2
2021 19 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 19 1
Total 53 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 54 4
Tampines Rovers 2022 Singapore Premier League 20 3 6 0 0 0 1 0 27 3
Total 20 3 6 0 0 0 1 0 27 3
Lion City Sailors 2023 Singapore Premier League 17 1 6 0 0 0 6 0 29 1
2024–25 9 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 10 0
Total 26 1 6 0 1 0 6 0 39 1
Career total 158 13 18 0 5 1 17 0 198 14
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Singapore 2015 2 0
2016 2 0
2022 8 0
2023 7 1
Total 19 1
Scores and results list Singapore's goal tally first.
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 12 October 2023 National Stadium, Kallang, Singapore   Guam 1–0 2–1 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification

Aside from playing football, Chris enjoys skating as a side hobby and has participated in different skating competitions around Singapore.[30]

  1. ^ "Van Huizen: From FirstXI to LionsXII". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  2. ^ "Christopher Van Huizen Player Profile". xinmsn. Archived from the original on 28 July 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  3. ^ "Football really is a beautiful game". TODAY. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  4. ^ "Football: 5 things to know about Singaporean midfielder Christopher van Huizen". The Straits Times. 5 November 2015. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  5. ^ "Stags arrive in Phonm Penh for pre-season training tour". Tampines Rovers FC. Archived from the original on 20 January 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  6. ^ "Van Huizen: From FirstXI to LionsXII". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  7. ^ "FourFourTwo Player Ratings: LionsXII 5 PDRM 3". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  8. ^ "Young Lions Give Stags A Run For Their Money". Archived from the original on 8 April 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  9. ^ "Young Lions sign Tampines winger Christopher Van Huizen". Archived from the original on 3 July 2016. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  10. ^ "Van Huizen set to revive career with young Lions". TODAY. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  11. ^ Ganesan, Deepanraj (20 February 2020). "Geylang's Chris van Huizen rediscovers the wind beneath his wings". The New Paper. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  12. ^ Ganesan, Deepanraj (20 February 2020). "Geylang's Chris van Huizen rediscovers the wind beneath his wings". The New Paper. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  13. ^ "The club confirms that we will part ways with Danny Kim, Asshukrie Wahid, Izzdin Shafiq and Firdaus Kasman. We thank them for being part of the GIFC family and wish them the best in their future 🦅". www.instagram.com.
  14. ^ Auto, Hermes (3 October 2021). "Football: Contemplating retirement, super-sub van Huizen delivers for Geylang International | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  15. ^ Auto, Hermes (31 March 2022). "Football: Stags' renaissance man van Huizen relishing second chance after retirement U-turn | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  16. ^ "At the peak of his powers and relishing his biggest challenge yet: Chris". Lion City Sailors FC. 20 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  17. ^ Sailors, Lion City (14 August 2023). "Emphatic end to SPL assignment as Sailors now turn to ACL mission". Lion City Sailors FC. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  18. ^ "Kitchee tripped up by Singapore's Lion City Sailors in AFC Champions League loss". South China Morning Post. 4 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  19. ^ Ganesan, Deepanraj (4 October 2023). "Experienced Richairo Zivkovic leads Lion City Sailors to Asian Champions League football victory". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  20. ^ "Van Huizen: From FirstXI to LionsXII". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  21. ^ "ANNOUNCEMENT OF UNDER-21 SQUAD FOR VIETNAM NEWSPAPER CUP". Archived from the original on 1 December 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  22. ^ Auto, Hermes (5 October 2015). "Football: Christopher van Huizen gets call-up as Lions host two key World Cup qualifying ties | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  23. ^ "Van Huizen looking for more after dream debut". FourFourTwo. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  24. ^ "Shock recall gives Van Huizen hope for Suzuki Cup spot with Singapore". ESPNFC.
  25. ^ Auto, Hermes (17 March 2022). "Football: Four uncapped players called up for Singapore's March friendlies | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  26. ^ Tan, Amanda (20 December 2022). "Five players in Singapore squad to take part in AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2022 for the first time". youthopia.sg. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  27. ^ "Singapore takes a slender lead going into second leg of first round qualifier of World Cup 2026 - Football Association of Singapore". www.fas.org.sg. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  28. ^ "Singapore edge past Guam in World Cup qualifiers". Khel Now. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  29. ^ van Huizen at Soccerway. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  30. ^ Admin (2 April 2014). "Recap: Red Bull Local Hero Tour". Straatosphere. Retrieved 20 October 2023.