Philippe Troussier
In July 2011, Yi signed a contract with Chinese Super League side Shenzhen Ruby. On 21 August 2011, he made his debut for the club in a 4–2 win against Dalian Shide, coming on as a substitute for Liu Chao in the 82nd minute. Yi was named as club captain by then manager Philippe Troussier in 2012 after Shenzhen was relegated to the second tier.