Former Chinese footballer Sun Wen listed in AFC Hall of Fame

Former Chinese football player Sun Wen has been inducted into the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) Hall of Fame, which so far includes nine other Asian players for the purpose of recognizing Asia's finest football talents.

Born in 1973 in east China's Shanghai, Sun achieved an impressive 152 caps and scored 106 goals for the Chinese national team during her 17-year career.

She was at her peak when China were moments away from winning the 1999 World Cup in the USA, only to suffer a 5-4 penalty shootout defeat at the hands of the hosts. Despite the loss for Sun and her team, the tournament had clearly produced a new star in the world of women's football. She shared the competition's Golden Boot and won the Golden Ball. Because of her heroics at the 1999 World Cup as well as at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, where China claimed the silver medal, FIFA named her as the FIFA Female Player of the Century.

Apart from captaining the Chinese national team, she also skippered Atlanta Beat, a team in the Women's United Soccer Association. In addition, she famously helped China win the AFC Women's Asian Cup in 1991, 1993, 1995 and 1997.

The initial Hall of Fame inductee list includes the likes of Iranian legends Homayoun Bhezadi and Ali Daei, while there also places for the Japanese duo Yasuhiko Okudera and Homare Sawa as well as Saudi Arabian star Sami Al Jaber. The AFC has also recognized Malaysia's Dato Soh Chin Aun, the Republic of Korea's Hong Myung-bo, Baichung Bhutia from India and Australia's Harry Kewell.