Sun Jihai facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Sun Jihai
孙继海

Sun with Manchester City in 2007
Personal information
Full name	Sun Jihai [孙继海]
Date of birth	(1977-09-30) 30 September 1977 (age 47)
Place of birth	Zhuanghe, Dalian, Liaoning, China
Height	1.78 m
Playing position	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)
National team
1996–2008	China	80	(1)
Honours Representing  China AFC Asian Cup Runner-up 2004 China
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Sun Jihai (Chinese: 孙继海; pinyin: Sūn Jìhǎi; born 30 September 1977) is a Chinese former professional footballer. He played mainly as a defender. Sun is famous in East Asia because he was the first East Asian player to score in the English Premier League. He scored this goal for Manchester City in 2002. He was also the first Chinese footballer to score in the UEFA Cup.

Sun was part of the China national team that played in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. This was the only time China has ever qualified for the World Cup finals. After his football career, Sun started a company called Beijing Haiqiu Technology Company (HQ Sports) in 2016. He officially retired from football in December 2016 after 22 years.

Sun Jihai's Club Career

Sun Jihai played for several football clubs during his career. He started in China, then moved to England, and later returned to China.

Playing for Dalian Shide

Sun Jihai began his football journey with Dalian Shide in 1995. His first game was on May 28, 1995. He worked very hard to become a strong player for his club. Sun had a very successful time with Dalian. His team won four league titles and one Chinese FA Cup while he was there.

Playing for Crystal Palace

After three great years at Dalian Shide, Sun moved to England in August 1998. He and another Chinese player, Fan Zhiyi, signed with Crystal Palace. 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 team was having a tough time.

Playing for Manchester City

In February 2002, Sun signed with the English club Manchester City. He moved from Crystal Palace for £2 million. This made him the first Asian player to join Manchester City. He played his first game for the club in a 4–2 win against Coventry City. Fans loved his strong defense and exciting attacks. In October 2002, Sun made history by becoming the first East Asian player to score in the Premier League. He scored a goal in a 2–0 win against Birmingham City.

During the 2004–05 season, Sun got a serious knee injury. He missed the rest of that season. After working hard to recover, he returned to play regularly for Manchester City. He faced another injury in the 2006–07 season. When a new manager, Sven-Göran Eriksson, arrived, Sun played less often. Other players took his spot in the team.

Playing for Sheffield United

On July 2, 2008, Sun signed a two-year deal with Sheffield United. This club played in the English Championship. In his first game for Sheffield United, he was sent off (given a red card) after only nineteen minutes. He played regularly until November but then got another injury. He struggled to get back into the main team after that. Sun left Sheffield United in July 2009.

Returning to China

In July 2009, Sun went back to China. He was loaned to Sheffield United's partner team, Chengdu Blades, in the Chinese Super League. He helped Chengdu Blades achieve their best-ever league position. However, the club was later moved down to a lower league. After his loan ended, Sun's contract with Sheffield United also finished.

On January 8, 2010, Sun signed with Shaanxi Chanba. He quickly became the team captain. In 2012, the club moved to Guizhou and changed its name to Guizhou Renhe. Sun played many games and helped the team finish fourth in the league. They also reached the cup final, which allowed them to play in the AFC Champions League for the first time.

In 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 announced that he was retiring from football.

Sun Jihai's International Career

Sun played for the China national team. His first international game was on December 6, 1996, against Uzbekistan.

At the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Sun got an ankle injury early in a game against Costa Rica. He had to leave the game after only 25 minutes and could not play in the rest of the group stage matches.

On June 7, 2008, during a World Cup qualifying match, Sun was given 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.

Sun Jihai's Achievements

Sun Jihai won many awards and titles during his football 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

Images for kids

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  Sun with Manchester City in 2007

See also

In Spanish: Sun Jihai para niños