Li Ke

Arsenal

Early career

After beginning his youth career with Ridgeway Rovers, Yennaris joined the Arsenal Academy in May 2001 at age seven. He began his career as a forward and as he progressed through the ranks, he was moved back into a central midfield position, before being moved to full back. Injuries halted his progress in 2008 and the club were planning to release him just weeks before he signed a two-year scholarship deal in 2009. Yennaris won his first silverware with the club when he captained the U18 team to the 2009–10 Premier Academy League title. Yennaris signed his first professional contract in July 2010, but he missed much of the 2010–11 season with a long-standing ankle problem.

Professional debut (2011–2014)

Yennaris received his maiden call into the first team squad for a League Cup third round tie versus Shrewsbury Town on 29 September 2011 and he remained an unused substitute during the 3–1 win. His first team debut came in the following round versus Bolton Wanderers, in which he played the full 90 minutes of a 2–1 win. After signing a new contract, Yennaris made two further substitute appearances before joining League One club Notts County on a youth loan in March 2012. Signing until the end of the 2011–12 season, he made two appearances before returning to Arsenal early through injury. Yennaris signed a contract extension with Arsenal during the 2012 off-season. Yennaris was named in just two first team matchday squads…

Yennaris represented England at U17, U18 and U19 level. He made two appearances during the U17s' successful 2009 Nordic Tournament campaign. His solitary U18 cap came with a starting appearance in a 3–0 friendly win over Poland on 16 November 2010. Yennaris played in six friendlies for the U19s in late 2011 and early 2012, which were scheduled after the team received a bye to the elite round of the 2012 European U19 Championship qualifying. The friendly matches included three appearances at the 2011 Limoges Tournament, which England won. He was also eligible to represent China, Greece and Cyprus at international level. On 30 May 2019, Yennaris made history by becoming the first ever naturalised player to be called up by China and he made his senior international debut with a start in a 2–0 friendly victory over the Philippines on 7 June 2019. He won five further caps during the remainder of the year. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and long-term injuries, Yennaris was only capped once more between November 2019 and September 2023. He won a recall to the international team and won six caps in a mixture of friendlies and 2026 World Cup qualifiers between September and November 2023. Yennaris was named in China's 2023 AFC Asian Cup squad, but family reasons led to his withdrawal.

Club

As of match played 15 August 2026

International

As of match played 1 January 2024

Yennaris was born in Leytonstone, London to a father of Greek Cypriot origin and a mother of Chinese Hakka origin. His Chinese name is Li Ke (Chinese: 李可; pinyin: Lǐ Kě). Yennaris is an Arsenal supporter and was a mascot for a match at Highbury versus Coventry City on 16 September 2000.