PremierLeague - Tue 30 Sep 2014
'It was a great honour to be first Chinese player to score'
On his 37th birthday Sun Jihai recalls his time at Manchester City
He lives more than 5,000 miles away from the Etihad Stadium now, but former Manchester City defender Sun Jihai admits the club is still close to his heart.
"I have a friend in England, he sends me texts about every Man City game, he lets me know every time there’s a goal," Sun tells premierleague.com. "So even if I am too busy to watch the game, I know how Man City are getting on."
The defender, who celebrates his 37th birthday today, was the first Chinese player to score a goal in the Barclays Premier League, one of three he got in 123 BPL matches for Manchester City.
Quote:
*Sun Jihai factfile
Born: 30/7/77, Dalian, China
1998: Joins Crystal Palace on loan
2002: Signs for Man City
17/8/02: Makes debut v Leeds (A)
26/10/02: Debut BPL goal v Birmingham (A)
Total BPL appearances: 123
Total BPL goals: 3
|
.
Sun liked to play as an attacking full-back, but thinks Man City fans might remember him best for his character.
"The Man City fans remember that I liked to smile," he says. "Maybe this helped them accept and understand my personality."
Sun is a player-coach in southwest China at Guizhou Renhe in the Chinese Super League. He joined Manchester City in 2002, four years after first coming to England to join Crystal Palace on loan from Dalian Shide with compatriot Fan Zhiyi. At Palace he played a season before returning to Dalian. In 2002, Man City, who were challenging to return to the Barclays Premier League, came calling for a permanent deal.
"Before I joined Man City I didn't know too much about the club," Sun says. "But others told me about it, and that at the time they were top of the Championship, so had a great chance of promotion.
"So I moved, and within a few months we had achieved promotion."
Sun made more appearances in the Barclays Premier League than any other Chinese player. Compatriots to follow him were Zheng Zhi at Charlton Athletic, Li Tie at Everton, and Dong Fangzhuo at Manchester United. His landmark goal came against Birmingham City on 26 October 2002.
Quote:
* BPL in China
- 2013/14 +6,000 hours of BPL matches broadcast in China
- Audience estimated to be +146m
- Premier League has +2m followers on Sina Weibo
|
.
"It was a great honour to be the first Chinese player to score in the Premier League," he says. "I really cherish the time I spent playing overseas. To be able to play in a bigger and better league and develop myself was very fortunate.
"Those six years at Manchester City had lots of memorable firsts: the first time I played in a Premier League; , the first time I scored a goal in the Premier League; or even my first own goal! Now when I think of them they are all great memories."
Defending Barclays Premier League champions Manchester City currently trail Chelsea by five points, but Sun is not concerned.
"The season is long, it's not about just one game,” he adds. "After eight or nine months we will see. He who laughs last laughs longest. The Premier League has only been going for just over a month. It’s really early and Man City still have a great chance of defending the title."
Although there are no Chinese players at present at Barclays Premier League clubs, Sun says the competition's popularity in China remains as strong as ever.
"It is the most popular league in China," he says. "Many friends in China follow the Premier League. That's not only because I played in it, but because they think it's great to watch."