Xavier Xu

Xavier Xu is a former Ariddian football player, who played for his country's national team.

Status: retired
First appearance: World Cup 31
Last appearance: World Cup 34
Caps (after World Cup 34): 58
Goals (after World Cup 34): 2 (PEN: 3)

Xu initially played for the University of Haven while studying there, and attracted the attention of the Ariddian Football Association, who attempted to recruit him for the national team prior to World Cup 30. Xu declined, on the grounds that it would interfere with his studies.

At the age of 19, he was invited by the Errinundera Football Association to spend a year studying at the Errinundera Football Academy in Ellery Camp, as the first Ariddian student / young footballer invited on the ubhashinim scholarship. He expressed his gratitude, and accepted when informed he would be able to continue studying biology while in Errinundera.

Prior to World Cup 31, he accepted a place on his country's national team. As well as being a goalkeeper, Xu usually shot most of his team's penalty kicks, and is now generally considered a star of Ariddian football.

In the second round of World Cup 32, he blocked a shot in the closing minutes of the match against Bettia, enabling the Ariddians to remain in the game for penalty kicks. He shot his team's first penalty, successfully, then saved two of the Bettians' three kicks, thus playing a key role in qualifying Ariddia for the quarter-finals. When the Rouge-et-Noirs won the Cup, Xu was awarded the Order of Merit of the Social Republic for services in the field of sport, as well as an honourary degree in physical education and sports from the University of Rêvane.

He became team captain for World Cup 34, and retired after leading his country to victory in that same Cup.

Domestically, he played for Clube Imperial in Cafundeu. While in Cafundéu, he married Teresa Costa; they have a son, Jean-Pierre, and a daughter, Priscila. After Xu retired from his football career, the family moved to Ariddia, in the suburbs of Haven, where they now live.

A very tall, rather thin man with a lean face, Xu is of primarily Oriental descent.