Gao Tianyi

Gao Tianyi came through the academy system at Shandong Luneng, Hangzhou Greentown and Chengdu Blades before returning to Chinese professional football in 2016 with Shenzhen. A move to Jiangsu Suning followed in February 2017, and he stayed with the club until its dissolution in 2020, winning the Chinese championship that year. A loan spell back at Shenzhen in 2019 produced a goal. In February 2021 he joined Beijing Guoan, where he spent three seasons and made 69 appearances, scoring four goals.

Gao signed for Shanghai Shenhua as a free agent in January 2024 and quickly became a fixture in Leonid Slutsky's starting eleven. He has since won the Chinese Super Cup with Shenhua in both 2024 and 2025. In the 2026 Super League season he made 24 appearances, scoring once and setting up ten goals for teammates.

At international level, Gao made his debut for China on 24 March 2022 in a World Cup 2022 qualifier against Saudi Arabia, a match that finished 1-1. He had earned 11 caps by November 2022 and has also represented the China under-22 and under-23 sides. In 2025 he took a bronze medal with the national team at the EAFF E-1 Championship.

His career has been largely free of major disruption. A minor injury in September 2025 kept him out for three days, but he has otherwise avoided serious fitness problems and has not been at the centre of any contentious transfer.