China’s Sun Xiang reacts after scoring a goal against South Korea during the East Asian Championship Competition at Daejeon World Cup Stadium in Daejeon, South Korea, in this July 31, 2005, file photo. SD-Agencies
SUN XIANG, the first Chinese to play in soccer’s European Champions League, has moved from Shanghai Shenhua to Austria Vienna on a one-year loan deal, local media reported Thursday.
The 26-year-old international, who played in the world’s premier club competition with Dutch club PSV Eindhoven in 2007, will undergo a medical after the loan deal was signed Tuesday, Soccer News reported.
The left back played in most of China’s matches in their failed campaign to qualify for the 2010 World Cup, scoring a spectacular winner against Australia in a dead rubber match last month.
Another China defender Sun Jihai has joined Sheffield United on a two-year deal, according to the English Championship (second division) club’s Web site.
The versatile 30-year-old was released at the end of last season after six years at Manchester City and joins a club with a tradition of involvement with Chinese soccer.
The Yorkshire club previously employed China midfielder Li Tie and own China Super League (CSL) club Chengdu Blades, who will play Chelsea in a pre-season friendly in Macao on July 26.
(SD-Agencies)
Manchester City’s Chinese defender Sun Jihai makes a pass during the Premier League match against Fulham at the City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, in this April 2008 file photo. SD-Agencies