Yan Yu (footballer)

Yan Yu (born 3 November 2002) is a Chinese professional footballer who plays as a winger for China League One club Heilongjiang Ice City, on loan from Chinese Super League club Beijing Guoan.

Early life
Yan Yu was first introduced to football when he got curious about the sport and signed up for football lessons in around 2012. He is a Beijing Guoan supporter, and claims it was his childhood dream to play in front of tens of thousands of spectators. In 2017, he joined the Beijing Sinobo Guoan youth academy, playing as a full-back. In 2018, he played in the 2018 Chinese U-19 Super League for Beijing Sinobo Guoan. As Yan Yu preferred attacking, he was converted by coach Zhai Biao into a winger. In 2022, after three years without official matches at the youth level, he took part in Beijing Guoan's 2022 CFA U-21 League season. After scoring six goals and winning the CFA U-21 League title, he was credited with the Player of the Year award for his season.

Career
After a wave of injuries and COVID-19 cases that hit the Beijing Guoan first-team, Yan Yu, along with nine other U-21 teammates, were given the chance to play in the Chinese Super League. Manager Stanley Menzo started Yan Yu for his professional and senior debut on 23 December 2022 in a league fixture against Guangzhou. In the 31st minute, Yan Yu connected with a Hu Jiaqi corner to give Guoan the equaliser, with the game eventually finishing at a 3–1 victory to Beijing Guoan.

Yan Yu was promoted to the Beijing Guoan first-team before the 2023 season. On 9 June 2023, he made his first appearance of the season for the club, coming off as a substitute in the 67th minute in a league match against Dalian Pro, with Guoan trailing behind 2–0. The match finished 2–2. He was given eight more appearances off the bench in the 2023 season, with six being in the league and two in the 2023 Chinese FA Cup.

On 26 February 2024, Yan Yu and Guoan teammate Ma Yujun were loaned out to China League One club Heilongjiang Ice City.