Yu Jinyong

In this Chinese name, the family name is Yu.

Yu Jinyong (Chinese: 于金永; pinyin: Yú Jīnyǒng; born 6 July 2004) is a Chinese professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Chinese Super League club Shandong Taishan, and the China under-23 national team.

Yu Jinyong

Yu Jinyong in August 2024
Personal information
Full name	Yu Jinyong
Date of birth	(2004-07-06) 6 July 2004 (age 21)
Place of birth	Shenyang, Liaoning, China
Height	2.00 m (6 ft 7 in)[1]
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team	Shandong Taishan
Number	1
Youth career
0000–2021	Shandong Taishan
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2021–	Shandong Taishan	3	(0)
International career‡
2023–	China U23	3	(0)
Medal record Representing  China Men's football EAFF Championship 2025 South Korea Team
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 16 April 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 16 April 2024

Club career

Yu Jinyong was born on 6 July 2004 in Shenyang, Liaoning,^[2] and went through the Shandong Taishan youth academy.^[3]

In 2021, as a 16-year-old,^[3] Yu Jinyong was named in Shandong Taishan's 35-man squad for the upcoming 2021 Chinese Super League season.^[4] He failed to make a single appearance during the season,^[5] but followed the team to a Chinese Super League title, the club's first in eleven years.^[6]

In August 2023, Yu Jinyong went on trial to Belgian club Royal Charleroi under the recommendation of then-teammate Marouane Fellaini, who dubbed him as a "little Courtois", but he had since returned to China.^[7]

On 17 July 2024, Yu Jinyong made his professional and senior debut in a 2024 Chinese FA Cup tie against Qingdao West Coast.^[8] On 13 September, he made his Chinese Super League debut, starting in the 1−0 home loss against Qingdao West Coast.^[9]

International career

Yu Jinyong was part of the China U20 squad that competed in the 2023 AFC U-20 Asian Cup, where his role had been a back-up goalkeeper.^[10]

On 5 April 2024, he was named in China's final squad of the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup.^[11] On 16 April 2024, in China's first group stage match against Japan, he came on as a substitute for Duan Dezhi in the 88th minute of the game, as a striker.^[12] In a post-match interview, China U23 head coach Cheng Yaodong claimed that the substitution had previously been envisioned in his tactics.^[13]

Personal life

Yu Jinyong was born to his father Yu Ming [it], a former Liaoning and Chinese international footballer, and his mother, Hu Jie, a Chinese former volleyball player.^[3]

Career statistics

Club

As of 28 February 2025^[5]

Club	Season	League			Cup		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Shandong Taishan	2021	Chinese Super League	0	0	0	0	–		–		0	0
	2022	Chinese Super League	0	0	0	0	0[a]	0	–		0	0
	2023	Chinese Super League	0	0	0	0	0[a]	0	0[b]	0	0	0
	2024	Chinese Super League	1	0	1	0	0[c]	0	–		2	0
	2025	Chinese Super League	2	0	0	0	–		–		2	0
	Total		3	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
Career total			3	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	4	0

1. Appearances in AFC Champions League
2. Appearances in Chinese FA Super Cup
3. Appearances in AFC Champions League Elite

Honours

Shandong Taishan

• Chinese Super League: 2021^[6]
• Chinese FA Cup: 2021, 2022