In previous articles, we covered many players from the golden era of Liaoning Football, including Fu Yubin, Ma Lin, Wang Xuelong, Liu Zhongchang, Li Zheng, Wang Jun, Sun Wei, Li Qiang, Huang Chong, Tang Yaodong, Zhao Faqing, Fu Bo, Xu Hui, Yu Ming, Gao Xu, and Gao Sheng. Some fans requested the story of Sun Xianlu, so here it is.
Born in 1964 in Dalian, Sun Xianlu grew up playing football in the streets near his home. At age 10, he was selected for the Dalian Sports School football team, and four years later he joined the Liaoning Youth Team.
In 1980, Sun was called up to the national youth team (U16) to compete in the fourth Lion City Cup in Singapore. The 1980 team included players such as Xian Haihui, Cai Guoliang, Zhao Faqing, and others.
Two years later, Sun moved up to the Liaoning second team and was also selected by Wang Hongli for the national youth team (U19), participating in the first Thailand International Youth Invitational.
It wasn’t until 1985 that Sun finally made it into the Liaoning first team, but in the early days he mostly sat on the bench with occasional substitute appearances.
After the 1987 National Games, many veteran players left Liaoning, and Sun seized his opportunity to shine. In the 1988 National Football League A Division, he scored 13 goals, finishing second in the scoring chart, just one goal behind Shanghai’s Tang Quanshun. That year, Liaoning won the league title.
In 1989, Sun was called up to the national team training squad and impressed during the Hong Kong Lunar New Year Cup.
On April 29, 1990, Liaoning drew 1-1 with Japan’s Nissan team at the Wulihe Stadium, winning 3-2 on aggregate to claim the Asian Club Championship trophy—the most prestigious of their ten consecutive titles.
Dong Liqiang, Fu Bo, and Sun Xianlu posed with the Asian Club Championship trophy after the match.
In 1993, Liaoning defeated Beijing 2-0 in the National Games final, completing their decade-long dominance. However, the professionalization of Chinese football in 1994 changed everything. After the National Games, key players like Ma Lin returned to their hometown Dalian. The old guard—Sun Xianlu, Xu Yi, Zhao Faqing, Fu Yubin, Li Zheng, Cheng Qiang, and Fu Bo—remained, while young talents like Zhuang Yi emerged. In the first professional season, Liaoning finished fourth with 11 wins, 3 draws, and 8 losses. Sun scored Liaoning’s first ever professional league goal in a 1-1 draw against Sichuan Quanxing.
Sun netted four goals in 1994, but the following season was disastrous. After a strong opening win against Bayi, Liaoning plunged into the relegation zone. On November 12, 1995, facing Guangzhou Apollo in a must-win match, Sun headed home from a cross in the 68th minute to give Liaoning the lead, sparking wild celebrations at Wulihe. Coach Li Shubin hugged him tightly. Guangzhou coach Zhang Jingtian, himself from Liaoning, substituted key players Hu Zhijun and Peng Weiguo in an apparent attempt to help. But substitutes Feng Feng and Lv Jianjun scored twice in the last five minutes, sending Liaoning down. The final whistle brought tears to fans and players alike, including Zhang Jingtian.
In the final round against Qingdao Hainiu, Sun scored twice, but Liaoning lost 3-2. Both teams were relegated. Sun ended the season with 11 goals, sharing the Silver Boot with Gao Hongbo, behind Fan Zhiyi’s 14 goals.
Sun retired in 1997 and joined Liaoning’s coaching staff. The next year, he moved to Yunnan Hongta as a youth coach, spending three years in Brazil with Santos. In 2002, he returned to Brazil to study at Palmeiras for two years, settling there and even meeting Pelé.
In 2009, Sun returned to China at his own expense for a coaching vacancy. After presenting his philosophy, the panel criticized him for “unreasonable use of time” during his 15-minute talk. Frustrated, Sun returned to Brazil and abandoned any desire to coach in China.
In Brazil, Sun earned a professional coaching license, coached local Chinese amateur teams, and played occasionally. He vividly recalls Liaoning’s glory days: “Our monthly salary was only 43 yuan, and a championship would get a 10-yuan raise. But we valued friendship and played for passion, not money.”
Standing 177 cm tall, Sun played as left winger or left forward. He could sprint 100 meters in 11.8 seconds, but his greatest strength was heading the ball, despite his modest height. His running style—thrusting his head forward like a horse—earned him the nickname “Ma Tou” (Horse Head).
Sun witnessed both the peak and decline of old Liaoning Football, a journey he cherishes deeply.
