# Yu Hai

Yu Hai (Chinese: 于海; pinyin: Yú Hǎi; Mandarin pronunciation:; 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. 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.
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. 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). 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. 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. 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.

## 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. 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. In the team's opening group match, he scored the winning goal, a deflected free kick as China won 1–0 against Saudi Arabia.

## Career statistics
### Club statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | National Cup | National Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Continental | Continental | Other | Other | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Xi'an Chanba | 2004 | Chinese Super League | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 24 | 0 |
| Xi'an Chanba | 2005 | Chinese Super League | 15 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 20 | 2 |
| Xi'an Chanba | 2006 | Chinese Super League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
| Xi'an Chanba | Total | Total | 36 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 2 |
| Vitesse | 2006-07 | Eredivisie | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | 0 |
| Vitesse | 2007-08 | Eredivisie | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8 | 0 |
| Vitesse | Total | Total | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Guizhou Renhe | 2009 | Chinese Super League | 29 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 29 | 3 |
| Guizhou Renhe | 2010 | Chinese Super League | 29 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 29 | 4 |
| Guizhou Renhe | 2011 | Chinese Super League | 28 | 3 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 31 | 4 |
| Guizhou Renhe | 2012 | Chinese Super League | 21 | 3 | 5 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 26 | 4 |
| Guizhou Renhe | 2013 | Chinese Super League | 25 | 3 | 5 | 3 | - | - | 6 | 0 | - | - | 36 | 6 |
| Guizhou Renhe | 2014 | Chinese Super League | 28 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 3 |
| Guizhou Renhe | Total | Total | 160 | 19 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 185 | 24 |
| Shanghai Port | 2015 | Chinese Super League | 19 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 20 | 3 |
| Shanghai Port | 2016 | Chinese Super League | 29 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 10 | 1 | - | - | 41 | 2 |
| Shanghai Port | 2017 | Chinese Super League | 20 | 1 | 6 | 0 | - | - | 8 | 0 | - | - | 34 | 1 |
| Shanghai Port | 2018 | Chinese Super League | 22 | 1 | 3 | 1 | - | - | 8 | 1 | - | - | 33 | 3 |
| Shanghai Port | 2019 | Chinese Super League | 26 | 0 | 3 | 0 | - | - | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 1 |
| Shanghai Port | 2020 | Chinese Super League | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 6 | 0 | - | - | 18 | 1 |
| Shanghai Port | 2021 | Chinese Super League | 14 | 0 | 7 | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | - | - | 21 | 0 |
| Shanghai Port | 2022 | Chinese Super League | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 13 | 0 |
| Shanghai Port | 2023 | Chinese Super League | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | 0 |
| Shanghai Port | Total | Total | 157 | 6 | 26 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 225 | 10 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 363 | 25 | 44 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 52 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 464 | 37 |
* 1 2 Appearances in Chinese FA Super Cup

### International statistics

National team :
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2009 | 7 | 3 |
| 2010 | 12 | 3 |
| 2011 | 13 | 3 |
| 2012 | 4 | 0 |
| 2013 | 6 | 0 |
| 2014 | 7 | 0 |
| 2015 | 9 | 1 |
| 2016 | 7 | 1 |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | 6 | 0 |
| Total | 71 | 11 |

### International goals

    Scores and results list China's goal tally first.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1. | 25 July 2009 | Olympic Center Stadium, Tianjin, China | Kyrgyzstan | 3–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 2. | 30 September 2009 | Hohhot City Stadium, Hohhot, China | Botswana | 4–0 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 3. | 14 November 2009 | Beirut Municipal Stadium, Beirut, Lebanon | Lebanon | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
| 4. | 10 February 2010 | Tokyo Stadium, Tokyo, Japan | South Korea | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2010 EAFF Championship |
| 5. | 11 August 2010 | Guangxi Sports Center, Nanning, China | Bahrain | 1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 6. | 18 December 2010 | Zhuhai Sports Center, Zhuhai, China | Estonia | 2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 7. | 16 January 2011 | Thani bin Jassim Stadium, Doha, Qatar | Uzbekistan | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2011 AFC Asian Cup |
| 8. | 2 September 2011 | Tuodong Stadium, Kunming, China | Singapore | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 9. | 15 November 2011 | Jalan Besar Stadium, Kallang, Singapore | Singapore | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 10. | 10 January 2015 | Lang Park, Brisbane, Australia | Saudi Arabia | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2015 AFC Asian Cup |
| 11. | 1 September 2016 | Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul, South Korea | South Korea | 1–3 | 2–3 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |

## Honours

Guizhou Renhe
* Chinese FA Cup: 2013
* Chinese FA Super Cup: 2014
Shanghai Port
* Chinese Super League: 2018, 2023
* Chinese FA Super Cup: 2019
China
* East Asian Football Championship: 2010