Background and career
Nicholas Harry Yennaris (born 24 May 1993), also known as Li Ke (Chinese: 李可; pinyin: Lǐ Kě), is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Chinese Super League club Shanghai Shenhua. Born in England, he plays for the China national team at international level.
Yennaris began his career in the academy at Premier League club Arsenal and came to prominence in the Football League with Brentford. After transferring to Beijing Guoan in 2019, Yennaris was naturalised as a Chinese citizen and took the name Li Ke. He transferred to Shanghai Shenhua in 2025. Born in England to a Chinese mother and a Greek-Cypriot father, he was eligible to represent all four nations at international level and won 10 youth caps for England. Yennaris made his senior international debut for China in late 2019. He has been described as a "rugged, all action defensive player, with a positive, winning mentality".
