Yan Junling started his football career when he joined the Genbao Football Academy in 2001 and was promoted to Shanghai SIPG's (later to be renamed as Shanghai Port) first team during the 2007 season.[1] He played as the backup goalkeeper for Gu Chao between 2007 and 2010. After Gu transferred to Hangzhou Greentown in early 2011, Yan became the first-choice goalkeeper for the club.[2] Yan made 24 league appearances in the 2012 season as Shanghai won the second tier league title and was subsequently promoted to the top flight.
Yan would establish himself as a vital member of the team throughout the 2013 Chinese Super League campaign as the club finished in ninth while also gaining significant investment from Shanghai International Port.[3] He would go on to be an integral member of the team that would come runners-up within the 2015 Chinese Super League and qualification for the AFC Champions League for the first time in the clubs history.[4] He would go on to be a consistent presence within the team as he won the 2018 Chinese Super League title with the club.[5]
On 29 October 2023, Yan won his second league title with Shanghai Port after a 1-1 home draw against direct competitor Shandong Taishan. [6]
International career
Yan made his debut for the Chinese national team on 13 December 2014 in a 4–0 win against Kyrgyzstan. However, this match was not recognised as an international "A" match by FIFA.
In January 2015, Yan was a member of China's squad for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, where he served as back-up for first choice goalkeeper Wang Dalei. He made his official debut on 27 March 2015 in a 2–2 draw against Haiti, coming on as a substitute for Wang.[7]
Yan was named in China's squad for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar and started the team's all 3 matches, he kept 2 clean sheets and conceded only one goal throughout the tournament but was not able to prevent the team's elimination after the group stage.
