Sun Jihai facts for kids
Sun with Manchester City in 2007
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Sun Jihai [孙继海] | ||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 30 September 1977 | ||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Zhuanghe, Dalian, Liaoning, China | ||||||||||||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||
| 1995–2002 | Dalian Shide | 123 | (7) | ||||||||||
| 1998–1999 | → Crystal Palace (loan) | 23 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2002–2008 | Manchester City | 130 | (3) | ||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | Sheffield United | 12 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2009 | → Chengdu Blades (loan) | 10 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2010–2014 | Guizhou Renhe | 118 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 2015 | Chongqing Lifan | 28 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2016 | Beijing Renhe | 9 | (0) | ||||||||||
| Total | 453 | (11) | |||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||
| 1996–2008 | China | 80 | (1) | ||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||
| Sun Jihai | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | 孙继海 | ||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 孫繼海 | ||||||||
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Sun Jihai (born September 30, 1977) is a famous Chinese former professional footballer. He played as a defender. Sun is well-known in East Asia because he was the first East Asian player to score a goal in the English Premier League. This happened in 2002 when he played for Manchester City. He was also the first Chinese footballer to score in the UEFA Cup. Sun was an important part of the China national team that played in the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
After his football career, Sun Jihai started a company called Beijing Haiqiu Technology Company (HQ Sports) in February 2016. He officially retired from playing football in December 2016, after 22 years in the sport. At the same time, he announced that his company had received funding from big investors like China Media Capital (CMC) and Tencent. HQ Sports now has over 100 staff members and focuses on sports technology, media, and data entertainment around the world.
Contents
Sun Jihai's Football Journey
Starting Out in China
Sun Jihai began his football journey with Dalian Shide in 1995. His first game was on May 28, 1995. When he was young, he wanted to join a special Chinese youth training camp in Brazil. However, he wasn't chosen, which was a big disappointment. But Sun didn't give up. He worked very hard and became a key player for Dalian. During his time there, Dalian Shide won four league titles and one Chinese FA Cup.
Playing in England: Crystal Palace
After three successful years with Dalian Shide, Sun Jihai moved to England in August 1998. He joined Crystal Palace along with another Chinese player, Fan Zhiyi. They were the first Chinese footballers to play in the English leagues. Sun played his first game for Crystal Palace in a match against Bury. He later returned to Dalian because his old club was struggling in the league.
Playing in England: Manchester City
In February 2002, Sun Jihai signed with Manchester City for £2 million. He was the first Asian player to join the club. His first game for Manchester City was a 4–2 win against Coventry City. Fans loved his strong defense and exciting attacks. In September 2002, he was voted the best player for the club. A month later, in October 2002, Sun made history. He became the first East Asian footballer to score in the Premier League by heading in a goal against Birmingham City.
During the 2004–05 season, Sun got a serious knee injury while playing against Chelsea. This meant he missed the rest of that season. After a lot of hard work and training, he returned to play regularly for Manchester City. In the 2006–07 season, he faced another injury setback. When Sven-Göran Eriksson became the new manager in 2007, Sun played less often. He was replaced by other players in his position.
Moving to Sheffield United
On July 2, 2008, Sun Jihai signed a two-year contract with Sheffield United, a club in the English Championship. His first match for Sheffield United was short; he was sent off after just nineteen minutes in a friendly game. He played his first full game in the 2008–09 season against Birmingham City. He later received a red card in a game against Coventry City for a tackle. After this, he faced a ban from the Football Association. Sun played regularly until November but then got injured again. He struggled to get back into the main team and mostly played in the FA Cup. In July 2009, Sheffield United ended his contract.
Returning to China
In July 2009, Sun Jihai was loaned to Chengdu Blades, a team in the Chinese Super League. He quickly became an important player and helped the club achieve its best-ever league position. However, the club was later moved down to a lower league due to a match-fixing scandal. After his loan ended, Sun's contract with Sheffield United also finished, leaving him without a club.
On January 8, 2010, Sun signed a two-year contract with Shaanxi Chanba, another top-tier Chinese team. He was made team captain right away. In 2012, the club moved to Guizhou and changed its name to Guizhou Renhe. Sun played many games that season, helping the club finish fourth in the league and reach the cup final. This earned them a spot in the AFC Champions League for the first time.
On February 4, 2015, Sun moved to Chongqing Lifan. He played his first game for them on March 8, 2014. On December 8, 2015, Sun returned to Beijing Renhe. Finally, on December 10, 2016, Sun Jihai announced his retirement from professional football.
Playing for China
Sun Jihai played his first international game for the China national team on December 6, 1996, against Uzbekistan. At the 2002 FIFA World Cup, he got an ankle injury in a group stage match against Costa Rica. He had to leave the game early and couldn't play in the rest of the group stage. On June 7, 2008, during a World Cup qualification match against Qatar, Sun received a red card for arguing while he was on the bench. China lost that game. He was banned for five matches by FIFA and did not play for the national team again after this.
Career Statistics
Here are some statistics about Sun Jihai's club and international career.
Club Appearances and Goals
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Dalian Shide | 1995 | Chinese Jia-A League | 13 | 0 | – | – | 13 | 0 | ||||
| 1996 | 21 | 0 | – | – | 21 | 0 | ||||||
| 1997 | 19 | 0 | – | 19 | 0 | |||||||
| 1998 | 18 | 1 | – | 18 | 1 | |||||||
| 1999 | 8 | 1 | – | – | 8 | 1 | ||||||
| 2000 | 21 | 2 | 1 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | 24 | 2 | |||
| 2001 | 23 | 3 | 4 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | 28 | 3 | |||
| Total | 123 | 7 | ||||||||||
| Crystal Palace (loan) | 1998–99 | First Division | 23 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 25 | 0 | |
| Manchester City | 2001–02 | First Division | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 7 | 0 | |
| 2002–03 | Premier League | 28 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 31 | 2 | ||
| 2003–04 | 33 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 42 | 2 | ||
| 2004–05 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 7 | 0 | |||
| 2005–06 | 29 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 34 | 0 | |||
| 2006–07 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 14 | 0 | |||
| 2007–08 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 16 | 0 | |||
| Total | 123 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 144 | 4 | ||
| Sheffield United | 2008–09 | English Championship | 12 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 17 | 0 | |
| Chengdu Blades | 2009 | Chinese Super League | 10 | 0 | – | – | – | 10 | 0 | |||
| Guizhou Renhe | 2010 | Chinese Super League | 27 | 0 | – | – | – | 27 | 0 | |||
| 2011 | 20 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 23 | 0 | ||||
| 2012 | 19 | 0 | 5 | 0 | – | – | 24 | 0 | ||||
| 2013 | 28 | 1 | 5 | 0 | – | 6 | 1 | 39 | 2 | |||
| 2014 | 24 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 5 | 0 | 31 | 0 | |||
| Total | 118 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 144 | 2 | ||
| Chongqing Lifan | 2015 | Chinese Super League | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 28 | 0 | ||
| Beijing Renhe | 2016 | China League One | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 9 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 453 | 11 | 34 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 19 | 2 | 515 | 13 | ||
International Appearances and Goals
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 1996 | 5 | 0 |
| 1997 | 22 | 0 | |
| 1998 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2000 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2001 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2002 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2003 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2004 | 11 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 80 | 1 | |
- Score and result list China's goal tally first, score column indicates score after Sun goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 June 2004 | Worker's Stadium, Beijing, China |  Malaysia |
2–0 | 4–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier |
Awards and Achievements
Sun Jihai won many awards and titles throughout his career:
Dalian Shide
- Chinese Jia-A League: 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001
- Chinese FA Cup: 2001
- Chinese FA Super Cup: 1997, 2000
Manchester City
- Football League First Division: 2001–02
Guizhou Renhe
- Chinese FA Cup: 2013
- Chinese FA Super Cup: 2014
Individual Awards
- Chinese Football Association Young Player of the Year: 1998
- Chinese Jia-A League Team of the Year: 1997, 2001
- Chinese FA Super Cup Most Valuable Player: 2014
- English Football Hall of Fame Special Category: 2015
- IFFHS Legends
See also
In Spanish: Sun Jihai para niños
