Raphaël Ayrton Lee Merkies (; 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.
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. The young winger made his league debut in a 1–0 victory over Sham Shui Po in the opening day fixture. Merkies then scored his first goal for the club weeks later in a Hong Kong FA Cup tie against Resources Capital.
Merkies departed the club at the end of the season.
Southern On 10 June 2023, Merkies joined Southern, signing his first professional contract. 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. 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.
Shandong Taishan On 14 February 2025, Merkies joined Chinese Super League club Shandong Taishan.再有香港球員北上 李小恆轉投中超山東泰山 inmediahk.net 14 February 2025
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.
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.
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.
Personal life Growing up in the suburbs of Paris, Merkies moved to Hong Kong in 2016 aged 14, 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.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational CupLeague CupOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsHKFC 2022–23 Hong Kong Premier League180111010211Southern 2023–25 Hong Kong Premier League294109220416Shandong Taishan 2025– Chinese Super League103000000103Career total 888211823011111
International
National teamYearAppsGoalsHong Kong202585202650Total135
International goals No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1. 19 March 2025 Mong Kok Stadium, Mong Kok, Hong Kong 2–0 2–0 Friendly 2. 7 September 2025 Kanchanaburi Province Stadium, Kanchanaburi, Thailand 3–0 8–0 2025 King's Cup 3. 9 October 2025 National Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh 2–1 4–3 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification 4. 3–1 5. 4–3
Honours Hong Kong FIFA ASEAN Challenge Cup: 2026
References
Appearances in the Hong Kong FA Cup Appearances in the Hong Kong Sapling Cup Appearances in the Hong Kong Senior Challenge Shield Appearances in the Chinese FA Cup Appearances in the AFC Champions League Elite
External links Raphaël Merkies at the HKFA Yau Yee Football League profile