Sun Jihai
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Manchester City | ||
| Number | 17 | ||
| ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 12:00, 27 March 2007 (UTC) | |||
Template:Chinese name Sun Jihai (Simplified Chinese: 孙继海) (born September 30, 1977 in Dalian, China) is a Chinese football (soccer) player who currently plays for Manchester City as a defender and for the China national football team as 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 on both wings, central defense, holding midfielder. Sun is a valuable utility player in Manchester City and one of the most important players in the China national team.
Professional career
Sun started his professional career with Dalian Wanda in 1995 and made his first appearance on May 28, 1995. After three successful years at Dalian, Sun along with Fan Zhiyi signed for Crystal Palace in 1998. They became the first Chinese footballers 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.
In 2002, Sun signed for Manchester City from Dalian for £2,000,000. He made his City debut in a 4-2 win over Coventry City.
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 2004/2005 season, Sun damaged his cruciate ligaments 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 Jihai is now a regular starter in the Man City line up.
Sun's 2006/2007 season was set back yet again by another injury, however he finally made his return on February 10, 2007 against Portsmouth which Man City lost 2 - 1. He is now once again a regular in the squad.
National Team
Sun made his international debut for China on December 6, 1996 against Uzbekistan.
At China's first match during the 2002 FIFA World Cup against Costa Rica, Sun picked up an ankle injury after a wild lunge from behind by Costa Rican defender, Mauricio Solís after just 17 minutes. Solis received a yellow card from Greek referee Kyros Vassaras for the tackle, but may have merited a red card due to its force and severity of Sun's injury. Similar tackles were performed by João Pinto and Beto of Portugal against Park Ji-Sung and Lee Young-Pyo, respectively, of South Korea during the last match of their group. João Pinto and Beto were immediately sent off due to these offenses. Unable to play, Sun was replaced after 25 minutes and sat out for the rest of China's matches. Such was Sun's importance that some critics have labeled his loss a detriment to China's performance.
Club Career Stats
Last update: 11 July 2007
| Season | Team | Country | Division | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Dalian Wanda |  China |
1 | 13 | 0 |
| 1996 | Dalian Wanda | China |
1 | 21 | 0 |
| 1997 | Dalian Wanda | China |
1 | 19 | 0 |
| 1998 | Dalian Wanda | China |
1 | 18 | 1 |
| 98/99 | Crystal Palace |  England |
2 | 23 | 0 |
| 1999 | Dalian Shide | China |
1 | 8 | 1 |
| 2000 | Dalian Shide | China |
1 | 21 | 2 |
| 2001 | Dalian Shide | China |
1 | 23 | 3 |
| 01/02 | Manchester City | England |
2 | 7 | 0 |
| 02/03 | Manchester City | England |
1 | 28 | 2 |
| 03/04 | Manchester City | England |
1 | 33 | 1 |
| 04/05 | Manchester City | England |
1 | 6 | 0 |
| 05/06 | Manchester City | England |
1 | 29 | 0 |
| 06/07 | Manchester City | England |
1 | 13 | 0 |
| 07/08 | Manchester City | England |
1 |
External links
- Sun Jihai at Soccerbase
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