Chinese footballers to have played in Europe

We examine some of the most distinguished Chinese footballers to have plied their trade on European shores.

• Sun Jihai

Initially arriving in England on loan at Crystal Palace from Chinese side Dalian Shide in August 1998, Sun became a Premier League player in 2002 with Manchester City spending £2m for his services.

Playing his final match in Man City colours in the same year as the club's money-spinning takeover by Sheikh Mansour in 2008, defender Sun Jihai was a reliable figure at the Citizens - making a total of 151 appearances between 2002 and 2008.

Becoming the first Chinese player to score in the Premier League with a headed effort against Birmingham City in 2002, Sun developed into a favourite of the City supporters during his stay in the north west of England.

Capped 80 times by the China national team, Sun departed City for Sheffield United in 2008, but made only 17 appearances for the Blades before returning to his homeland.

• Zheng Zhi

Emerging as one of the most talented players in his homeland at Shenzhen Jianlibao and Shandong Luneng Taishan, Premier League side Charlton Athletic signed China national team captain Zheng Zhi on loan with an option to buy in December 2006.

The Addicks snapped the midfielder up on a permanent basis for £2m in the summer of 2006, with Zheng making a total of 70 appearances at The Valley and scoring 11 goals.

Following the expiry of his Charlton contract in 2009, Zheng remained in the United Kingdom and signed for Glasgow giants Celtic.

Zheng struggled to make an impact in Scotland, however, and moved back to Chinese football with Guangzhou FC in 2010 having made only 19 appearances for the Hoops.

Widely regarded as one of the best Chinese footballers of all time, Zheng turned out for his country on 108 occasions - scoring 15 goals.

• Wu Lei

Learning his trade as a professional footballer at Shanghai SIPG in China, Wu Lei made the plunge to test his game in Europe when signing for Espanyol for a reported €2m in 2019.

A versatile forward who could play all across the front, Wu went on to enjoy three years at the Barcelona-based outfit - scoring 16 goals in 126 appearances.

Wu was named Chinese Footballer of the Year in 2021 after helping Espanyol to La Liga promotion as Segunda Division champions.

Eventually returning to China with Shanghai Port in 2022, Wu has a commendable goal return at international level - netting 36 goals in 99 games.

• Nico Yennaris

Born in England to a Chinese mother and a Greek-Cypriot father, Nico Yennaris was a product of the Arsenal academy system.

Capped at various youth levels by England, Yennaris opted to declare for the country of his mother's birth in 2019 following his transfer from Brentford to Beijing Guoan in the Chinese Super League.

A tenacious defensive midfielder, Yennaris is also known by his Chinese name of Li Ke.

• Yang Chen

Spotted by Eintracht Frankfurt during a short loan period with German lower league club Waldhof Mannheim, Yang Chen played a pivotal role in steering Die Adler clear of Bundesliga relegation danger in his first season in the Bundesliga in 1998/99.

The first Chinese footballer to play and score in the Bundesliga, the direct forward struck 23 goals in 99 matches for Eintracht Frankfurt before signing for 2. Bundesliga side FC St. Pauli in 2002.

Yang Chen was also able to display his talent at international level, turning out for China at the 2002 FIFA World Cup and scoring a total of 11 goals in 35 appearances for his country.