Yan Yu (footballer)
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.jpg) Yan Yu in July 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Yan Yu | ||
| Date of birth | 3 November 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Wuyi County, Hebei, China | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Shaanxi Union | ||
| Number | 36 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2017–2023 | Beijing Guoan | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022–2024 | Beijing Guoan | 8 | (1) |
| 2024 | → Heilongjiang Ice City (loan) | 27 | (1) |
| 2025– | Shaanxi Union | 27 | (4) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 13 November 2025 | |||
Yan Yu (simplified Chinese: 闫雨; traditional Chinese: 閆雨; pinyin: Yán Yǔ; born 3 November 2002) is a Chinese professional footballer who plays as a winger for China League One club Shaanxi Union.
Yan Yu was first introduced to football when he got curious about the sport and signed up for football lessons around 2012.[1] He is a Beijing Guoan supporter, and claims it was his childhood dream to play in front of tens of thousands of spectators.[1] In 2017, he joined the Beijing Sinobo Guoan youth academy, playing as a full-back. In 2018, he played in the 2018 Chinese U-19 Super League for Beijing Sinobo Guoan. As Yan Yu preferred attacking, he was converted by coach Zhai Biao into a winger.[1] In 2022, after three years without official matches at the youth level, he took part in Beijing Guoan's 2022 CFA U-21 League season. After scoring six goals and winning the CFA U-21 League title,[2] he was credited with the Player of the Year award for his season.[1]
Career
After a wave of injuries and COVID-19 cases that hit the Beijing Guoan first-team, Yan Yu, along with nine other U-21 teammates, were given the chance to play in the Chinese Super League. Manager Stanley Menzo started Yan Yu for his professional and senior debut on 23 December 2022 in a league fixture against Guangzhou. In the 31st minute, Yan Yu connected with a Hu Jiaqi corner to give Guoan the equaliser with his goal, with the game eventually finishing at a 3–1 victory to Beijing Guoan.[3][4]
Yan Yu was promoted to the Beijing Guoan first-team ahead of the 2023 season.[5] On 9 June 2023, he made his first appearance of the season for the club, coming on as a substitute in the 67th minute in a league match against Dalian Pro, with Guoan trailing behind 2–0.[6] The match finished 2–2.[7] He was given eight more appearances off the bench in the 2023 season, with six being in the league and two in the 2023 Chinese FA Cup.[8]
On 26 February 2024, Yan Yu and Guoan teammate Ma Yujun were loaned out to China League One club Heilongjiang Ice City.[9][10] Yan featured in 28 matches across all competitions for Heilongjiang, grabbing one goal and one assist.[11] Yan thanked the coaches and supporters at the end of the season ahead of his return to Beijing Guoan, and apologised on social media to the fans that he, as a starter, was not able to bring more wins to the team.[12]
Yan departed Guoan and signed for China League One club Shaanxi Union ahead of the 2025 season.[13]