Sun Jihai
Encyclopedia
Jihai Sun is a Chinese
association football player. He is currently playing for Chinese side Inter Xi'an and for the China national football team
as a defender
or a midfielder
.
Sun's main strengths are his speed, physical strength, crossing and attacking forays down the wings. He is a highly versatile player, having played as a central defender, a holding midfielder, and on both wings. Sun is one of the most important players in the Chinese football history.
signed for Crystal Palace
in 1998. They became the first footballers from China
to play in the English leagues. Sun made his debut for Crystal Palace
in a 0–3 defeat at Bury
in the first leg of the Football League Cup
match.
.
Sun enjoyed a great start to his first season in the Premier league. His solid defense and dangerous attacking forays won over many City fans. He was voted the best player at Manchester City for the month of September 2002.
In October 2002, Sun became the first Chinese footballer to score in the Premier League when he headed home the first City goal in their 2–0 win over Birmingham City
.
At the beginning of the 2004–05 season, Sun damaged his cruciate ligament
s in a tackle with Chelsea
striker Eiður Guðjohnsen
and missed the rest of the season. After recuperating and following a strict physical regimen devised by his father, Sun was a regular starter in the Man City line up.
Sun's 2006–07 season was set back yet again by another injury, he made his return on 10 February 2007, against Portsmouth
, which Man City lost 2 – 1.
With the arrival of Sven-Göran Eriksson
, Sun rarely played in the 2007–08 season. He was replaced by Vedran Ćorluka
on the right back position and Michael Ball
played as the defensive substitute instead of him.
.
He was sent off during a game against Coventry City after a lunging tackle from behind on Maltese player Michael Mifsud
. The FA charged him for his behavior after receiving a red card but considered his past good record, handed him an additional one match ban. Having played regularly until November he succumbed to an injury and subsequently failed to force his way back into the first team and made only a handful of appearances in the FA Cup in the second half of the season. Sun was then released from his contract in July 2009 with United claiming he had 'failed to settle' in Yorkshire.
, hoping to make an impact. He steadily established himself in Chengdu and helped them to achieve the club's best league position (7th).
.
.
At China's first match during the 2002 FIFA World Cup
against Costa Rica
, Sun picked up an ankle injury after a tackle from behind by Costa Rican defender, Mauricio Solís after just 17 minutes. Unable to play, Sun was replaced after 25 minutes and sat out for the rest of China's matches.
On June 7, 2008, in a 2010 FIFA World Cup
qualifying match against Qatar
, Sun was shown a straight red card for dissent while he was warming up as a substitute on the bench. China lost the match 0–1.
Manchester City
|-
|1995||rowspan="4"|Dalian Shide||rowspan="4"|Jia-A League
||13||0||||||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||||
|-
|1996||21||0||||||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||||
|-
|1997||19||0||||||colspan="2"|-||||||||
|-
|1998||18||1||||||colspan="2"|-||||||||
|-
|1998–99
||Crystal Palace
||First Division
||23||0|||1||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||25||0
|-
|1999||rowspan="3"|Dalian Haichang||rowspan="3"|Jia-A League
||8||1||||||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||||
|-
|2000||21||2||1||0||colspan="2"|-||||||||
|-
|2001||23||3||4||0||colspan="2"|-||||||||
|-
|2001–02
||rowspan="7"|Manchester City
||First Division
||7||0||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||7||0
|-
|2002–03
||rowspan="6"|Premier League||28||2||1||0||2||0||colspan="2"|-||31||2
|-
|2003–04
||33||1||3||0||1||0||5||1||42||2
|-
|2004–05
||6||0||0||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||7||0
|-
|2005–06
||29||0||4||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||34||0
|-
|2006–07
||13||0||1||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||14||0
|-
|2007–08||14||0||0||0||2||0||colspan="2"|-||16||0
|-
|2008–09
||Sheffield United
||Championship
||12||0||4||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||17||0
|-
|2009
||Chengdu Blades
||rowspan="3"|Super League
||10||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||10||0
|-
|2010||rowspan="2"|Shaanxi Chanba||27||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||27||0
|-
|2011
||20||0||3||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||23||0
180||7||||||0||0||||||||
165||3||14||0||9||0||5||1||193||4
345||10||||||9||0||||||||
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
association football player. He is currently playing for Chinese side Inter Xi'an and for the China national football team
China national football team
The China PR national football team is the national association football team of the People's Republic of China and is governed by the Chinese Football Association...
as a defender
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
or a midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
.
Sun's main strengths are his speed, physical strength, crossing and attacking forays down the wings. He is a highly versatile player, having played as a central defender, a holding midfielder, and on both wings. Sun is one of the most important players in the Chinese football history.
Dalian Wanda
Sun started his professional career with Dalian Wanda in 1995 and made his first appearance on May 28, 1995. Sun did not intend to start his professional career at such a young age. Like all the top young Chinese players of that generation, he wanted to go to the training camp in Brazil. However, he was not selected as he was not deemed to possess enough potential. Sun showed great character by not letting this huge disappointment derail him. He worked very hard and eventually enjoyed what is undoubtedly the most successful career of any Chinese football player.Crystal Palace
After three successful years at Dalian, Sun along with Fan ZhiyiFan Zhiyi
Fan Zhiyi is a former professional football player from the People's Republic of China. A folk hero and football icon in his native country he was considered a trailblazer when he moved to English club Crystal Palace to become the first Chinese person to do so. Internationally he would go on to...
signed for Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
in 1998. They became the first footballers from China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
to play in the English leagues. Sun made his debut for Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
in a 0–3 defeat at Bury
Bury F.C.
Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...
in the first leg of the Football League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
match.
Manchester City
In 2002, Sun signed for Manchester City from Dalian for £2 million. He made his City debut in a 4–2 win over Coventry CityCoventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
.
Sun enjoyed a great start to his first season in the Premier league. His solid defense and dangerous attacking forays won over many City fans. He was voted the best player at Manchester City for the month of September 2002.
In October 2002, Sun became the first Chinese footballer to score in the Premier League when he headed home the first City goal in their 2–0 win over Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
.
At the beginning of the 2004–05 season, Sun damaged his cruciate ligament
Cruciate ligament
Cruciate ligaments are pairs of ligaments arranged like a letter X. They occur in several joints of the body, such as the knee...
s in a tackle with Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
striker Eiður Guðjohnsen
Eiður Guðjohnsen
Eiður Smári Guðjohnsen is an Icelandic footballer who currently plays for AEK Athens F.C. in the Superleague Greece. He has previously played for Premier League club Chelsea and FC Barcelona of Spain, having made his name with Bolton Wanderers. He was the captain of the Iceland national team until...
and missed the rest of the season. After recuperating and following a strict physical regimen devised by his father, Sun was a regular starter in the Man City line up.
Sun's 2006–07 season was set back yet again by another injury, he made his return on 10 February 2007, against Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
, which Man City lost 2 – 1.
With the arrival of Sven-Göran Eriksson
Sven-Göran Eriksson
Sven-Göran Eriksson , in Sweden commonly referred to just by his nickname Svennis, is a Swedish ex-football manager. From October 2010 to October 2011 he managed Football League Championship side Leicester City....
, Sun rarely played in the 2007–08 season. He was replaced by Vedran Ćorluka
Vedran Corluka
Vedran Ćorluka is a Croatian footballer who plays for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur as a defender. He is also a part of the Croatia national team...
on the right back position and Michael Ball
Michael Ball (footballer)
Michael John Ball is an English professional footballer who plays for Leicester City, having previously played as a left-back for English Premier League team Manchester City....
played as the defensive substitute instead of him.
Sheffield United
On 2 July 2008, Sun signed a two year deal with Championship club Sheffield United. Sun only managed 19 mins of his first match in a Blades shirt, getting sent off after picking up two yellows in a friendly. He went on to make his full debut in the opening fixture of the season against Birmingham CityBirmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
.
He was sent off during a game against Coventry City after a lunging tackle from behind on Maltese player Michael Mifsud
Michael Mifsud
Michael Mifsud is a Maltese footballer. He is the captain of the Malta national football team, and currently plays for Valletta. He was voted Maltese Sports Person of the Year in 2001 and 2003.-Sliema Wanderers:...
. The FA charged him for his behavior after receiving a red card but considered his past good record, handed him an additional one match ban. Having played regularly until November he succumbed to an injury and subsequently failed to force his way back into the first team and made only a handful of appearances in the FA Cup in the second half of the season. Sun was then released from his contract in July 2009 with United claiming he had 'failed to settle' in Yorkshire.
Chengdu Blades
Sun left Sheff Utd and has signed for Chengdu BladesChengdu Blades
Chengdu Blades F.C. is a professional football club based in Chengdu, PR China who currently plays in the 42,000 seater Chengdu Sports Centre in the Chinese Super league...
, hoping to make an impact. He steadily established himself in Chengdu and helped them to achieve the club's best league position (7th).
Shaanxi Chanba
Sun moved to Shaanxi Chanba on 8 January 2010, reuniting him with former China national team manager Zhu GuanghuZhu Guanghu
Zhu Guanghu is a Chinese football coach currently under contract with Shaanxi Chanba, and was previously the head coach of the China national football team to 22 August 2007.-Managerial career:...
.
International career
Sun made his international debut for China on 6 December 1996 against UzbekistanUzbekistan national football team
The Uzbekistan national football team represents Uzbekistan in association football and is controlled by the Uzbekistan Football Federation, the governing body for football in Uzbekistan...
.
At China's first match during the 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
against Costa Rica
Costa Rica national football team
The Costa Rica national football team, nicknamed La Sele, is the national team of Costa Rica and is controlled by the Federación Costarricense de Fútbol. Costa Rica is the third most successful team in CONCACAF after Mexico and the United States...
, Sun picked up an ankle injury after a tackle from behind by Costa Rican defender, Mauricio Solís after just 17 minutes. Unable to play, Sun was replaced after 25 minutes and sat out for the rest of China's matches.
On June 7, 2008, in a 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
qualifying match against Qatar
Qatar national football team
The Qatar national football team is the national team of Qatar and is controlled by the Qatar Football Association. They have never qualified for a FIFA World Cup but are hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The team has also appeared in seven AFC Asian Cup tournaments and hosted the 2011 AFC Asian...
, Sun was shown a straight red card for dissent while he was warming up as a substitute on the bench. China lost the match 0–1.
International goals
- Scores and results list China's goal tally first.
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 June 2004 | Workers Stadium Workers Stadium The Workers Stadium , often called Gongti or Gong Ti, is a multi-purpose stadium in the Chaoyang District of north-eastern Beijing, China. It is mostly used for football matches... , Beijing Beijing Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's... |
2-0 | 4-0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) Listed below are the dates and results for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for Asia.44 Asian teams are affiliated with FIFA, but Cambodia, Philippines, Bhutan and Brunei decided not to take part, and Myanmar was banned from the competition, so a total of 39 teams took part, competing... |
Club
Dalian Shide- Chinese Jia-A LeagueChinese Jia-A LeagueThe National Football Jia A League , commonly known as Jia-A , was the highest tier of professional football in the People's Republic of China, during 1994 through 2003, operating under the auspices of the Chinese Football Association.The Chinese Professional Football League was established in 1994...
: 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001 - Chinese FA CupChinese FA CupThe Chinese FA Cup is the national knockout cup competition in China organised by the Chinese Football Association. Its current format started in the 1995 season.In the new season, 2011 it was announced, that current Chinese FA Cup will start in May....
: 2001 - Chinese Super Cup: 1997
Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
- Football League First DivisionFootball League First DivisionThe First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
: 2002
Club career stats
Last update: 2 November 2011|-
|1995||rowspan="4"|Dalian Shide||rowspan="4"|Jia-A League
Chinese Jia-A League
The National Football Jia A League , commonly known as Jia-A , was the highest tier of professional football in the People's Republic of China, during 1994 through 2003, operating under the auspices of the Chinese Football Association.The Chinese Professional Football League was established in 1994...
||13||0||||||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||||
|-
|1996||21||0||||||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||||
|-
|1997||19||0||||||colspan="2"|-||||||||
|-
|1998||18||1||||||colspan="2"|-||||||||
|-
|1998–99
The Football League 1998-99
The 1998–1999 season was the 99th completed season of the The Football League.-First Division:Sunderland were crowned First Division champions with 105 points, then a record, having lost just three games all season, to prove right the many pundits who tipped them for promotion...
||Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
||First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||23||0|||1||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||25||0
|-
|1999||rowspan="3"|Dalian Haichang||rowspan="3"|Jia-A League
Chinese Jia-A League
The National Football Jia A League , commonly known as Jia-A , was the highest tier of professional football in the People's Republic of China, during 1994 through 2003, operating under the auspices of the Chinese Football Association.The Chinese Professional Football League was established in 1994...
||8||1||||||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||||
|-
|2000||21||2||1||0||colspan="2"|-||||||||
|-
|2001||23||3||4||0||colspan="2"|-||||||||
|-
|2001–02
The Football League 2001-02
-Overview:The 2001–2002 season was the 102nd completed season of The Football League.-Final league tables and results :The tables below are reproduced here in the exact form that they can be found at website, with home and away statistics separated...
||rowspan="7"|Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
||First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||7||0||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||7||0
|-
|2002–03
FA Premier League 2002-03
The 2002–03 FA Premier League was the eleventh season of the Premier League, the top division in English football. The first matches were played on 17 August 2002 and the last were played on 11 May 2003...
||rowspan="6"|Premier League||28||2||1||0||2||0||colspan="2"|-||31||2
|-
|2003–04
FA Premier League 2003-04
The 2003–04 FA Premier League season was the twelfth season of the Premier League. In the end, Arsenal went through the season without a single defeat – only the second ever team to do so and were crowned champions once more, at the expense of Chelsea, who had spent heavily throughout the...
||33||1||3||0||1||0||5||1||42||2
|-
|2004–05
FA Premier League 2004-05
The 2004–05 season of the FA Premier League began on 14 August 2004 and ended on 15 May 2005. Arsenal were the defending champions after going unbeaten the previous season....
||6||0||0||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||7||0
|-
|2005–06
FA Premier League 2005-06
The 2005–06 season of the FA Premier League began on 13 August 2005, and concluded on 7 May 2006. The season saw Chelsea F.C retain their title after defeating Manchester United 3–0 at Stamford Bridge towards the end of April...
||29||0||4||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||34||0
|-
|2006–07
FA Premier League 2006-07
The 2006–07 FA Premier League was the fifteenth season of the FA Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The season started on 19 August 2006 and concluded on 13 May 2007....
||13||0||1||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||14||0
|-
|2007–08||14||0||0||0||2||0||colspan="2"|-||16||0
|-
|2008–09
The Football League 2008-09
The Football League 2008–09, titled the Coca-Cola Football League, was the 109th completed season of the Football League. It began in August 2008 and concluded in May 2009, with the promotion play-off finals....
||Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
||Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
||12||0||4||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||17||0
|-
|2009
Chinese Super League 2009
The 2009 Chinese Super League season was the sixth season since the establishment of the Chinese Super League, the sixteenth season of a professional football league and the 48th top-tier league season in China. Beijing Guoan won their first ever Chinese Super League title.The events during the...
||Chengdu Blades
Chengdu Blades
Chengdu Blades F.C. is a professional football club based in Chengdu, PR China who currently plays in the 42,000 seater Chengdu Sports Centre in the Chinese Super league...
||rowspan="3"|Super League
Chinese Super League
The Chinese Football Association Super League , commonly known as Chinese Super League or CSL, currently known as the Pirelli Chinese Football Association Super League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest tier of professional association football in China, operating under the auspices of the...
||10||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||10||0
|-
|2010||rowspan="2"|Shaanxi Chanba||27||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||27||0
|-
|2011
2011 Chinese Super League
The 2011 Chinese Super League was the eighth season since the establishment of the Chinese Super League, the eighteenth season of a professional association football league and the 50th top-tier league season in China. Guangzhou Evergrande F.C...
||20||0||3||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||23||0
180||7||||||0||0||||||||
165||3||14||0||9||0||5||1||193||4
345||10||||||9||0||||||||