AnnieSneed66 at 13:07, 7 January 2026

2026-01-07T13:07:53Z

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{{Short description|English footballer (born 2006)}}
{{Infobox football biography
|name = Han Willhoft-King
|image =
|fullname = Gabriel Han Willhoft-King<ref name=wf>{{WorldFootball.net|gabriel-willhoft-king}}</ref>
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|2006|1|24|df=y}}
|birth_place = [[London]], England
|height = 1.74 m<ref name=wf/>
|position = [[Midfielder]]
|youthyears1 = 2012–2024
|youthclubs1 = [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Under-21s and Academy|Tottenham Hotspur]]
|youthyears2 = 2024–2025
|youthclubs2 = [[Manchester City F.C. EDS and Academy|Manchester City]]
|nationalyears1 = 2021
|nationalteam1 = [[England national under-16 football team|England U16]]
|nationalcaps1 = 2
|nationalgoals1 = 0
|club-update =
|nationalteam-update =
}}
'''Gabriel Han Willhoft-King''' (born 24 January 2006), commonly known as '''Han Willhoft-King''', is an English former [[Association football|professional footballer]] who last played as a [[midfielder]] for [[Manchester City F.C. EDS and Academy|Manchester City]].

==Early life==
Willhoft-King was born in [[London]] to a British-Indian father who grew up in [[Jakarta]], Indonesia and Chinese-American mother with parents from [[Liaoning]], China and [[Taiwan]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sohu.com/a/633990868_627135|title=有华人血统，17岁热刺小将获评英超新星！盘点英籍华裔精英运动员...|trans-title=With Chinese ancestry, the 17-year-old Tottenham youngster was named a Premier League Rising Star! Taking stock of elite British-Chinese athletes...|date=23 January 2023|access-date=2 September 2023|website=sohu.com|language=zh}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indonewstoday.com/olahraga/2738915461/profil-gabriel-han-willhoft-king-wonderkid-tottenham-hotspur-yang-memiliki-keturunan-indonesia|title=Profil Gabriel Han Willhoft-King, Wonderkid Tottenham Hotspur yang Memiliki Keturunan Indonesia|trans-title=Profile of Gabriel Han Willhoft-King, Tottenham Hotspur Wonderkid Who Has Indonesian Ancestry|first=Raden Dikky|last=Adinegara|date=26 May 2023|access-date=17 August 2023|website=indonewstoday.com|language=id}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://bola.okezone.com/read/2023/08/15/51/2865091/sulit-datangkan-gabriel-han-willhoft-king-untuk-perkuat-timnas-indonesia-u-17-bima-sakti-beberkan-penyebabnya|title=Sulit Datangkan Gabriel Han Willhoft-King untuk Perkuat Timnas Indonesia U-17, Bima Sakti Beberkan Penyebabnya|trans-title=Difficult to Bring in Gabriel Han Willhoft-King to Strengthen the U-17 Indonesian National Team, Bima Sakti Explains the Causes|first=Andre Bagus|last=Syaeful|date=15 August 2023|access-date=17 August 2023|website=bola.okezone.com|language=id}}</ref>

==Club career==
Willhoft-King joined the academy of [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]] at the age of six, progressing through their academy and being named by English newspaper ''[[The Guardian]]'' as the best player in his age-group at the club in September 2022.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2022/sep/27/next-generation-2022-20-of-the-best-talents-at-premier-league-clubs|title=Next Generation 2022: 20 of the best talents at Premier League clubs|first1=Marcus|last1=Christenson|first2=Steven|last2=Bloor|first3=Garry|last3=Blight|date=27 September 2022|access-date=17 August 2023|website=theguardian.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2022/09/27/tottenham-hotspur-han-willhoft-king/|title='Smooth' Tottenham teenager picked out for praise with big future predicted|date=27 September 2022|access-date=17 August 2023|website=hitc.com}}</ref> He turned down a contract offer from Tottenham and left the club at the end of the 2023–24 season following the conclusion of his scholarship.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/2024/june/player-update/| title=Player update| work=Tottenham Hotspur| date=5 June 2024| access-date=5 June 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.premierleague.com/news/4030168/| title=Premier League clubs publish 2023/24 retained lists| work=Premier League| date=8 June 2024| access-date=8 June 2024}}</ref> After leaving Tottenham, he planned to go to [[University of California]] but instead joined [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]] during the summer of 2024.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://sports.yahoo.com/manchester-city-sign-tottenham-midfielder-190000898.html| title=Manchester City sign Tottenham midfielder destined for University of California| website=yahoo sports| date=10 September 2024| access-date=21 December 2024}}</ref>

After a season at Manchester City, Willhoft-King confirmed in a 2025 interview with ''[[The Guardian]]'' that he had retired from professional football and had matriculated as a law undergraduate at [[Brasenose College, Oxford]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The teenager who quit Manchester City for Oxford University: 'I felt I could do more'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/nov/15/han-willhoft-king-teenager-quit-manchester-city-for-oxford-university-law?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other|website=The Guardian|access-date=16 November 2025|language=en}}</ref>

==International career==
Due to his ancestry, Willhoft-King is eligible to represent [[England national football team|England]], [[China national football team|China]], [[German national football team|Germany]], [[United States men's national soccer team|the US]], [[Indonesia national football team|Indonesia]], and [[Indian national football team|India]] at international level.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laitimes.com/en/article/3p0y2_45pxx.html|title=The England U16 national team has a young player born in 2006, Gabriel Han Willhoft-King, who plays for Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, which belongs|date=4 June 2022|access-date=17 August 2023|website=laitimes.com}}</ref> He made two appearances for the England under-16 side in 2021, featuring in a 3–2 win over Scotland and a 3–1 win over [[Turkey national under-16 football team|Turkey]].<ref name=wf/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sohu.com/a/553619741_100209108|title=华裔球员金瀚签约热刺两年！已入选英格兰青年队，但国足仍可征召|trans-title=Chinese player Jin Han signs with Tottenham for two years! Has been selected for the England youth team, but can still be called up by the national football team|date=2 June 2022|access-date=2 September 2023|website=sohu.com|language=zh}}</ref>

In July 2023, he was considered for selection to the Indonesia under-17 side by manager [[Bima Sakti]] ahead of the [[2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup]], with Sakti stating that Willhoft-King's parents had been contacted.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indosport.com/sepakbola/20230721/profil-dan-agama-gabriel-han-willhoft-king-dari-tottenham-ke-indonesia-u-17/profil-gabriel-han-willhoft-king|title=Profil dan Agama Gabriel Han Willhoft-King, Dari Tottenham ke Timnas demi Piala Dunia U-17|trans-title=Profile and Religion of Gabriel Han Willhoft-King, From Tottenham to the National Team for the U-17 World Cup|date=21 July 2023|access-date=17 August 2023|website=indosport.com|language=id}}</ref> However, later in the same month, Sakti announced that Willhoft-King's call-up had been cancelled, after his parents confirmed that he did not have an Indonesian passport, and the naturalisation process would take too long.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnnindonesia.com/olahraga/20230727120720-142-978475/pemain-tottenham-gabriel-han-batal-bela-timnas-u-17-karena-paspor|title=Pemain Tottenham Gabriel Han Batal Bela Timnas U-17 karena Paspor|trans-title=Tottenham player Gabriel Han cancels defending the U-17 national team due to passport|date=27 July 2023|access-date=17 August 2023|website=cnnindonesia.com|language=id}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Willhoft-King, Han}}
[[Category:2006 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Footballers from London]]
[[Category:English people of American descent]]
[[Category:English people of Chinese descent]]
[[Category:English people of German descent]]
[[Category:English people of Indian descent]]
[[Category:English people of Indonesian descent]]
[[Category:Sportspeople of Indian descent]]
[[Category:Sportspeople of Indonesian descent]]
[[Category:English people of Taiwanese descent]]
[[Category:British Asian footballers]]
[[Category:English men's footballers]]
[[Category:England men's youth international footballers]]
[[Category:Men's association football midfielders]]
[[Category:Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players]]
[[Category:21st-century English sportsmen]]

Han Willhoft-King - Revision history

AnnieSneed66 at 13:07, 7 January 2026