Chinese footballer
Yu Hai (Chinese: 于海; pinyin: Yú Hǎi; Mandarin pronunciation: [y̌ xàɪ]; born 4 June 1987) is a Chinese former professional footballer.
Club career
Shaanxi Chanba
Yu Hai started his football career with Shaanxi Chanba in the 2004 season and he made his debut for the club on 16 May 2004 in a 2–2 draw against Qingdao Etsong.[1] Despite predominantly playing as a substitute throughout the season, he played a significant part in Shaanxi's third-place finish at the end of the season. By the following 2005 season, he established as a player with rising potential within the team and was starting in considerably more games within the team.
Vitesse
Before the start of the 2006–07 season, Yu transferred to Eredivisie side, Vitesse where he would make his debut for the club on 18 March 2007 in a 2–0 loss against FC Utrecht. His time at Vitesse proved unsuccessful as he was unable to establish himself within the team. He was released from Vitesse after the 2008 Summer Olympics due to cruciate ligament damage which he suffered in July 2008.
Return to Shaanxi Chanba
Yu returned to Shaanxi at the start of the 2009 season where he played 29 league games and scored three goals by the end of the season. For the next few seasons, he became a regular for the club; and by the start of the 2012 season, Yu followed the club when it decided to move to Guizhou and rename themselves Guizhou Renhe.[2]
On 1 December 2013, Yu scored twice in a 2-0 home win against Guangzhou Evergrande in the first leg of 2013 Chinese FA Cup final. [3] He scored again in the second leg which ended as a 2-1 away defeat, scoring all 3 goals in a 3-2 aggregated win which saw Renhe win their first major trophy in club history, and prevented Evergrande from winning an unprecedented Treble in Chinese football history, as they had already won the 2013 Chinese Super League and 2013 AFC Champions League before the FA Cup final.
Shanghai Port
On 27 February 2015, Yu transferred to fellow Chinese Super League side Shanghai SIPG (later to be renamed as Shanghai Port).[4] He made his debut in a league game and scored his first goal for the club on 7 March 2015 in a 2–1 win against Jiangsu Sainty.[5] By the 2018 Chinese Super League season the Head coach, Vítor Pereira would convert Yu into a left-back, which saw Shanghai SIPG win their first league title.[6] He won his second Chinese Super League title with Shanghai Port in the 2023 season.
On 5 January 2024, Yu announced his retirement from professional football[7]
International career
Yu was a member of the Chinese under-23 national team and was expected to lead the team in the 2008 Summer Olympics; however, he was dropped from the team due to cruciate ligament damage. He eventually graduated to the senior team when he returned to the Chinese Super League and gained regular playing time with Shaanxi Chanba. He made his international debut on 4 June 2009 in a 4–1 loss against Saudi Arabia.[8] Despite the defeat, Yu would go on to establish himself as a regular and be included in the squad that won the 2010 East Asian Football Championship. This would then lead to a call-up for the squad that took part in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup.
On 24 December 2014, Yu was named in China's squad for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup.[9] In the team's opening group match, he scored the winning goal, a deflected free kick as China won 1–0 against Saudi Arabia.[10]
