Raphaël Merkies
Hong Kong footballer (born 2002)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Raphaël Ayrton Lee Merkies (Chinese: 李小恆; born 15 April 2002) is a professional footballer who currently plays as a left winger for Chinese Super League club Shandong Taishan. Born in France, he plays for the Hong Kong national team.
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Raphaël Ayrton Lee Merkies[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 15 April 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Paris, France | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position | Left winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Shandong Taishan | ||
| Number | 17 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2016–2017 | HKFC | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022–2023 | HKFC | 18 | (1) |
| 2023–2025 | Southern | 29 | (6) |
| 2025– | Shandong Taishan | 15 | (3) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2025– | Hong Kong | 10 | (5) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 3 August 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 9 June 2026 | |||
Club career
HKFC
Merkies began his professional career in 2022 by taking a gap year off university, having been promoted to the HKFC first team ahead of the 2022–23 Hong Kong Premier League season.[2][3] The young winger made his league debut in a 1–0 victory over Sham Shui Po in the opening day fixture.[3] Merkies then scored his first goal for the club weeks later in a Hong Kong FA Cup tie against Resources Capital.[4][5]
Merkies departed the club at the end of the season.[6]
Southern
On 10 June 2023, Merkies joined Southern,[7] signing his first professional contract.[8][9][10] He went on to take time off school and announced his decision to pursue football as a full-time passion prior to signing with Southern.[11] Merkies netted his first goal for Southern in once again a Hong Kong Sapling Cup tie against his former club HKFC in a 2–2 draw away from home.[12][13]
Shandong Taishan
On 14 February 2025, Merkies joined Chinese Super League club Shandong Taishan.[14]
International career
On 10 October 2024, Merkies received his HKSAR passport after staying in Hong Kong for seven years, making him eligible to represent Hong Kong internationally.[15]
After acquiring his HKSAR passport, Merkies was named in the 52-man preliminary squad in preparation for the national team's friendly fixtures for November 2024.[16]
On 19 March 2025, Merkies made his international debut for Hong Kong in a friendly match against Macau and scored his first international goal.
On 9 October 2025, Merkies scored a hat-trick, including a crucial goal in the eleventh minute of stoppage time against Bangladesh in a 4–3 away win in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification third round.[17][18][19]
Personal life
Growing up in the suburbs of Paris, Merkies moved to Hong Kong in 2016 aged 14,[3] enrolling in the French International School of Hong Kong. He is of Dutch and French descent and holds Hong Kong citizenship. He is also of partial Laotian Chinese descent from his maternal side of the family.[20]
Career statistics
Club
- As of 6 October 2025
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| HKFC | 2022–23 | Hong Kong Premier League | 18 | 0 | 1[22] | 1 | 1[23] | 0 | 1[24] | 0 | 21 | 1 |
| Southern | 2023–25 | Hong Kong Premier League | 29 | 4 | 1[22] | 0 | 9[23] | 2 | 2[24] | 0 | 41 | 6 |
| Shandong Taishan | 2025– | Chinese Super League | 10 | 3 | 0[25] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0[26] | 0 | 10 | 3 |
| Career total | 88 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 18 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 111 | 11 | ||
International
- As of 9 June 2026
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong | 2025 | 8 | 5 |
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 10 | 5 | |
International goals
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 19 March 2025 | Mong Kok Stadium, Mong Kok, Hong Kong |  Macau | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 2. | 7 September 2025 | Kanchanaburi Province Stadium, Kanchanaburi, Thailand |  Fiji | 3–0 | 8–0 | 2025 King's Cup |
| 3. | 9 October 2025 | National Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh |  Bangladesh | 2–1 | 4–3 | 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
| 4. | 3–1 | |||||
| 5. | 4–3 | |||||