Li Hao: The Chinese U23 goalkeeper, soon to face Vietnam, is being called a "mobile Great Wall".

On the Douyin platform (a social network similar to TikTok in Vietnam), information related to goalkeeper Li Hao (born in 2004) is trending, garnering over 10 million views in just the morning of January 18th and increasing every second.

The keyword "Li Hao" consistently appeared on trending lists, triggering a flood of articles, videos analyzing the topic, and comments from both the media and fans.

Li Hao's appeal stems from his brilliant performance at the 2026 AFC U23 Championship, where the goalkeeper born in 2004 became the biggest pillar of the Chinese U23 team. Chinese media, including Sohu, likened him to a "mobile Great Wall"—a symbol of the solid defense of the young Chinese team.

On social media, numerous praises such as "Hero Li Hao," "Guardian of the Temple Li Hao" followed his "divine" performance at the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026, especially the quarter-final victory against Uzbekistan U23 on the evening of January 17th.

Chinese media described Li Hao's performance as almost perfect throughout the 120 minutes of regular time and extra time. U23 Uzbekistan unleashed 28 shots, with 8 on target, and Li Hao successfully saved all 8. The majority of these were crucial saves, as the goalkeeper wearing number 16 faced dangerous shots directly from inside the penalty area.

The constant pressure caused Li Hao to become overloaded at times. He was on the ground twice and required medical attention, even suffering cramps in extra time. Despite this, the Chinese U23 goalkeeper remained steadfast in goal, calmly handling close-range shots, difficult long-range shots, and high balls, thus keeping a clean sheet and maintaining a 0-0 scoreline throughout the 120 minutes of play.

Not stopping there, Li Hao continued to be a decisive factor in the penalty shootout, correctly reading the direction of the shot and successfully saving a penalty, helping China U23 win 4-2 and secure a place in the semi-finals of the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Championship.

Looking at the bigger picture, Li Hao's performance against Uzbekistan U23 wasn't a momentary brilliance, but part of a remarkably consistent run of form since the start of the tournament. Li Hao is the only goalkeeper who hasn't conceded a goal in this year's competition. In the group stage alone, he made 16 saves – helping the team overcome what was once considered a "historical bottleneck."

Statistics show that this goalkeeper has an almost perfect save record:

- Against Iraq U23: Defended 14 shots, 7 on target - saved all 7.

- Against U23 Australia: Defeated 13 shots, 4 on target - saved all 4.

- Against Thailand U23: Defeated 12 shots, 4 on target - saved all 4.

- Against Uzbekistan U23: Conceded 28 shots, 8 on target - saved all 8, and successfully saved one penalty in the shootout.

Notably, after his decisive penalty save in the quarter-finals, many Vietnamese fans compared Li Hao to Bui Tien Dung of Vietnam at Changzhou 2018 - who became an icon with his historic penalty shootout saves during the U23 Vietnam team's journey.

Not only did Li Hao have excellent reflexes in one-on-one situations, but he also demonstrated very accurate situational awareness and positioning. After the match, Li Hao shared some noteworthy comments, including his comment on the missed penalty by the Uzbekistan U-23 player: "I knew where the opponent would shoot before I saved the penalty. I knew where the opponent would shoot before he took the penalty. I even told him, but he didn't believe me and still shot in that direction. How could I not have saved it?"

Not only Sohu, but many other major newspapers such as Sina and HK01 also dedicated favorable headlines to the 21-year-old goalkeeper: "Li Hao makes a legend," "Li Hao's outstanding saves lead China U23 to the Asian Cup semi-finals"... From a relatively unknown name before the tournament, Li Hao quickly became a central figure searched for and discussed across Chinese social media.

According to information from Baidu, Li Hao was born in 2004 in Henan province but moved with his family to Guangzhou, China at a young age. He started playing football very early and played in various positions. At the age of 10, due to a shortage of goalkeepers in his school's team, Li Hao was given a trial in goal. This fortuitous turning point opened up his career path, as coaches quickly recognized his reflexes, judgment, and mental fortitude for his age.

In 2016, Li Hao beat thousands of young players to become one of 50 Chinese talents selected to participate in the "China Football Hope Star" project launched by Wanda Group. Through this project, he was able to train in Spain and join the youth system of Atlético Madrid.

In 2018, Li Hao played for Atletico Madrid's U16 team before officially signing a professional contract with the club in 2023, becoming the second Chinese player in history to sign a permanent contract with Atletico Madrid. He was then loaned to Cornellà, a team playing in the Spanish Third Division, and made history as the first Chinese goalkeeper to start at that level in Europe.

Currently, Li Hao plays for Qingdao West Coast in the Chinese Super League and is also the number one goalkeeper for the Chinese U23 team.

At the age of 21, he was highly regarded not only for his skills but also for his extremely strong mentality, especially in high-pressure moments such as penalty shootouts.

Speaking to the media after the victory against Uzbekistan U23, Li Hao didn't hesitate to reveal that the coaching staff had thoroughly studied the opponent's penalty-taking habits before the shootout. He was provided with a water bottle containing information about the opponent's penalty-taking patterns, combining the coaching staff's data with his own judgment to make a decision.

Besides his talent on the field, Li Hao also attracts attention thanks to his handsome appearance, height of 1.87m, and the ideal physique of a modern goalkeeper.

His personal life has also garnered much attention. On his personal Douyin account, Li Hao currently has over 198,000 followers, with a concise bio: "Stay true to your original intentions." There, the goalkeeper frequently shares images of his training sessions, daily life, and moments with his girlfriend, attracting a large amount of interaction from fans.

Cong Phuong danced Aura farming to celebrate, rumors spread that he was Cong Phuong's younger brother? Thảo Mai16:25:08 30/07/2025Recently, the U23 Vietnam team defeated the host U23 Indonesia in the final match of the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship, thereby winning the championship. The players and coaching staff could not hide their happiness and pride.