Li Ying (footballer, born 1993)
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Li Ying | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 7 January 1993 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Dadukou, Chongqing, China, | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Chongqing Yongchuan Chashanzhuhai | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 10 | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Hangzhou Xizi | ||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | Suwon FMC | ||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2018 | Shandong Sports Lottery W.F.C | ||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | Guangdong | ||||||||||||||||
| 2020-2021 | Shandong Jinghua | 13 | (7) | ||||||||||||||
| 2022 | Zhejiang Hangzhou | 1 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023- | Chongqing Yongchuan Chashanzhuhai | 3 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | China U-20 | 5 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2012–2022 | China | 121 | (48) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 25 June 2019 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 13 February 2020 | |||||||||||||||||
Li Ying (Chinese: 李影; pinyin: Lǐ Yǐng; born 7 January 1993) is a Chinese footballer who plays for Chongqing Yongchuan Chashanzhuhai in the Chinese Women's Super League. Considered a star of the sport in China, she plays as a forward.
On June 22, 2021, she announced on Chinese microblogging platform Sina Weibo her relationship with girlfriend Chen Leilei. This made Li the first Chinese sports player to officially come out as a lesbian. Her Weibo post went viral before it was deleted, with some speculating that Li might have been put under pressure from authorities following the announcement.
After coming-out, she was selected for the Chinese team in the Women’s Asian Cup in India of 2022, appearing as a substitute in the first match of the tournament, a 4-0 victory against Chinese Taipei.