Li Kun (

Simplified Chinese Simplification, Simplify, or Simplified may refer to: Mathematics Simplification is the process of replacing a mathematical expression by an equivalent one that is simpler (usually shorter), according to a well-founded ordering. Examples include: ...

: 李鲲) (born August 1, 1981) is a former Chinese

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

. He holds the dubious distinction of having played in the most teams to be relegated and then subsequently disbanded from the top tier of Chinese football.

Club career

Bayi Football Team

Li Kun started his professional football career in 2001 at top tier

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

club

Bayi Football Team The Bayi or August First Football Team (), known fully as the People's Liberation Army Bayi Football Club (), was a football team under the sport branch of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) that played in China's football league system between 19 ...

after graduating from their youth team. He initially started out as a striker and would go on to make eight league appearances within his debut season. The following season would see Li progress to become a squad regular within the team while the club experienced a disappointing season and finished thirteenth within the league. By the 2003 league season Bayi were struggling to adopt to the financial requirements required for full professionalism within Chinese football and when the team experienced relegation at the end of the season the club was disbanded.

Xiamen Lanshi

Li Kun transferred to second-tier football club Xiamen Lanshi at the beginning of the 2004 football league season and under the club's Head coach

Gao Hongbo Gao Hongbo (; born January 25, 1966, in Beijing) is a Chinese professional football manager and former player who played as a striker. He previously managed the China national football team from 2009 to 2011, and in 2016. Appointed in May 2 ...

, Li was moved into the team's defense. The move would turn out to be a big success and during his first season with Xiamen he would help guide the club to a third-place finish, while in his second season with the club he would play a significant role in the club's division title win and promotion to the

Chinese Super League The Chinese Football Super League (), commonly known as the Chinese Super League or the CSL (), also known as the China Resources Beverage Chinese Football Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Ch ...

at the end of the 2005 league campaign. In his return into the top tier Li would go on to play a vital part within Xiamen's mid-table eighth-place finish at the end of the 2006 Chinese Super League campaign. At the beginning of the

2007 Chinese Super League The 2007 Chinese Super League season or the Kingway Chinese Super League, as it was known for sponsorship reasons, was the fourth edition since its establishment, the 14th season of professional football as well as being the 46th top-tier league ...

season the club's influential manager Gao Hongbo would leave the team to join Changchun Yatai F.C. and Xiamen were unable to recover from this, which then lead to the club's relegation and subsequent disbanding at the end of the season after the club's backers were unable to recoup their losses from the relegation.

Wuhan Guanggu

He would transfer to Wuhan Guanggu the following season where he was unable to establish himself within the squad. He would see Wuhan get relegated and was allowed to leave at the end of the season. Second-tier club Anhui Jiufang took Li Kun on at the beginning of the 2009 league season, however he would suffer an ankle injury during the season and would miss a significant part of the league season. When he returned the following season the club finished the league ninth, however the club would be taken over at the end of the season by

Tianjin Runyulong F.C. Shenyang Zhongze F.C. ( zh, s=沈阳中泽, t=瀋陽中澤, p=Shěnyáng Zhōngzé) was a former professional Chinese football club that participated in the China League One, Chinese League One division. History The club was founded in August 200 ...

and when the club had the chance to merge him into their team they declined that option.

Honours

;Xiamen Lanshi *

China League One The Chinese Football League 1 (), also known as China League One or Chinese Jia League (), is the second level of professional football in China, under the Chinese Super League. The league is under the auspices of the Chinese Football Association ...

: 2005

References

External links

Player profile
at Sina.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Li, Kun 1981 births Living people Chinese men's footballers Footballers from Beijing Bayi Football Team players Xiamen Blue Lions F.C. players Wuhan Optics Valley F.C. players Anhui Jiufang F.C. players Chinese Super League players China League One players 21st-century Chinese sportsmen Men's association football defenders Men's association football forwards