On January 10, Yu Hai, a former international player who had just taken up the post of assistant coach of the new Shanghai Port U21 team, posted a text and picture information on his personal social platform, posting the retired jersey of the national team that he had just received, thanking the Chinese football team for remembering the retired veterans, and wishing the national football team satisfactory results in the Asian Cup. Yu Hai also said that the days of playing for the national team are one of the best memories of his playing career.
Yu Hai's retired national team jersey shows that this is a shirt with the number 21, and in addition to the word "21" on the chest of the shirt, it is also marked in English and numbers that he played 71 games for the national team and scored 11 goals. On the back of the jersey, there is also a big "21" lettering, and there is a pinyin abbreviation of Yu Hai's name.
On January 8, Shanghai Port Football Club officially announced that Yu Hai officially retired and transformed into an assistant coach of the Shanghai Port U21 team on the spot. He will take on a new mission to compete with the boys of the Under-21 squad in the 2024 season.
In the 2023 U21 League, Shanghai Port U21 team won the runner-up and promoted to the second league with Shandong Taishan U21 team, which won the championship. In other words, in the 2024 season, Shanghai Port will have 2 professional teams competing in the men's football league, in addition to the Chinese Super League to defend the title, they are also looking forward to showing their green style in the Chinese Second League. In the second game, Yu Hai, who has just transformed into a coach, will also start a new journey.
Yu Hai, who will turn 37 this year, was born in Luoyang, Henan Province, and can play multiple positions such as left wingback, left forward, forward and back when he was a professional player. At the age of 17, he represented Shanghai International in the Chinese Super League. At the age of 20, he stayed in the Eredivisie with Vitesse and scored in the Dutch Cup. In 2009, Yu Hai joined Shaanxi Chanba (Guizhou Renhe). In the 2015 season, he officially joined Shanghai Port (Shanghai SIPG).
Since 2009, Yu Hai has become a regular player in the national team, and in the first round of the group stage of the 2015 Asian Cup in Australia, he helped the national football team beat Saudi Arabia and won the key three points for a good start and group qualification.
In the 2023 season of the Chinese Super League, Yu Hai won the championship with the team, and also drew a successful end to his career.