Published : 13/08/2025

On August 13, 1998, Chinese football players Fan Zhiyi (范志毅) and Sun Jihai (孫繼海) officially signed contracts with the Football League First Division club Crystal Palace in England, with a total transfer fee of 1 million pounds, becoming the first batch of Chinese professional players to transfer to world-class clubs and taking the first step for Chinese players to venture into England.

Liu Shijun (劉石軍), the general manager of Golder Associates (UK), who was handling the transfer matters for Fan Zhiyi and Sun Jihai at the time, stated that all the transfer procedures were completed at 2:30 in the afternoon, and both parties were satisfied with the contract terms.

According to the negotiation results, Fan would sign a four-year contract with Crystal Palace, while Sun 's contract would be for two years due to the requirements of Dalian Wanda.

Sun Jihai and Fan Zhiyi expressed their satisfaction with successfully transferring to Crystal Palace.

Sun Jihai said, "My initial goal was to join the Chinese national team. After joining the national team, I set a higher goal for myself and hoped to train with a world-class club. I am very happy to join Crystal Palace today. I am also confident that I can help Crystal Palace re-enter the Premier League next year."

After completing all the paperwork, Fan Zhiyi also said, "I thank all Chinese football fans for their concern. I will definitely live up to the expectations of Chinese fans at Crystal Palace."

Regarding the signing of these two Chinese players, Crystal Palace's then-head coach Terry Venables praised, "They are both very good."

At Crystal Palace, Fan Zhiyi and Sun Jihai quickly secured their positions as key players, with the former even wearing the captain's armband in several matches, marking a historic chapter for Chinese football players playing overseas.