The Sun That Never Sets — Sun Wen (孙雯), the FIFA Co-Player of the 20th Century
The Girl from Shanghai Who Kicked Against the Wind
Sun Wen was born in Fujian and raised in Shanghai, a sprawling port city. Her father was a railway worker. Her mother was a factory employee. Football was not in their blood — but it was in the streets.
As a child, Sun Wen was small and thin. In the narrow alleyways of Shanghai, she chased a worn-out leather ball with boys who were older, bigger, and faster. She fell. She scraped her knees. She got back up. By the time she was a teenager, her left foot had become a weapon.
The Rise of the Steel Roses
Sun Wen joined the Shanghai women’s football team in 1989 at age 16. By 1990, she was called up to the Chinese women’s national team — a squad that became known globally as the “Steel Roses.”
In the mid-1990s, Sun Wen and her teammates turned China into a powerhouse of Asian football. They swept five AFC Women’s Asian Cup titles (1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999). At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, they won silver, falling to the United States in the final.
1999: The Year She Owned the World
The 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup in the United States was Sun Wen’s stage. She scored in every group-stage match. She scored against Russia in the quarterfinal. She scored against Norway in the semifinal. By the time China reached the final at the Rose Bowl, she had seven goals — the most of any player in the tournament.
China faced the United States in front of 90,000 spectators. The match went to penalties. China lost. But Sun Wen had already done enough: the Golden Ball for best player, and the Golden Boot for top scorer. Double honors that only the very best achieve.
The following year, FIFA named her Co-Player of the 20th Century — sharing the honor with American legend Michelle Akers. She was the first Chinese footballer, male or female, to receive such recognition.
The Quietest Retirement in Sports
By 2003, Sun Wen was 30. Her knees were failing. She had given 14 years to the national team, played in two World Cups and two Olympics, won five Asian Cups. She quietly submitted her retirement papers and walked away.
She returned to Shanghai and moved back into her parents’ modest apartment. She studied. She read. She tried to figure out who she was without a football at her feet. There were no endorsement deals. No farewell tour. No farewell game.
A Second Act
For over a decade, Sun Wen stayed largely out of public view. She worked in media commentary and took up administrative roles in Shanghai football. In 2019, she was elected Vice President of the Chinese Football Association — a recognition of her enduring influence on the sport.
Today, she works to develop women’s football in China. She has not forgotten the girl who chased a leather ball through Shanghai alleyways. She is making sure that the next generation of Steel Roses has a better path.
References
- FIFA — Sun Wen Player Profile
- Olympedia — Sun Wen
- 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup Official Report
- Chinese Football Association — Sun Wen Biography