Borussia Düsseldorf signs Chinese player Yongyin Li
Borussia Düsseldorf's squad for the coming season continues to take shape: Chinese player Yongyin Li will join the record champions from newly promoted Borussia Dortmund for the 2025/26 season. The 25-year-old has signed a contract until June 30, 2027.
Yongyin Li already knows his way around Düsseldorf well, as he already trains regularly at the German Table Tennis Center as a sparring partner. And he is delighted that Borussia Düsseldorf will be his new sporting home from the summer. “It's such a famous club and so many famous and great players were and are here: Ever since I started playing table tennis, I've admired Jörg Roßkopf, Jörgen Persson and Vladimir Samsonov,” enthuses the left-hander. “But Timo Boll in particular is my idol, it motivates me so much to be able to play at the same club.”
His first stop in Europe was Poland. In the Superleague there, he played for Champions League club UKS Dojlidy Bialystok, which also attracted the attention of Bundesliga clubs. He moved to Mainz in 2023 and is currently playing for Borussia Dortmund. He was and is the most successful TTBL player at both clubs. He has a 5:4 record at the newly promoted club after the eighth matchday and has defeated strong and established Bundesliga players such as Sunsuke Togami (world ranking: 23, Ochsenhausen), Steffen Mengel (69) and Danny Habesohn (77, both Mühlhausen).
You won't find Leo, as he is usually called (“That's easier.”), in the world rankings. He doesn't play any international tournaments. And that's exactly what makes him interesting for many clubs in view of a full WTT calendar, which places great demands on the Bundesliga stars. “He is the ideal supplementary player for us, as he is always able and willing to play,” explains Borussia Düsseldorf manager Andreas Preuß.
The fact that he is permanently in Düsseldorf without any short or long trips has another advantage for head coach Danny Heister: “I am sure that he will continue to improve. We can train a lot and that will help him personally, but also us as a team, to move forward.”
Li is left-handed and therefore also an asset in terms of possible doubles constellations. “In any case, it will be good if we can bring two or even three possible doubles teams to the table again next season without Timo.”
Source: Press release Borussia Düsseldorf
Featured image above: Alexander Schilling (Managing Director Borussia Düsseldorf, left), Yongyin Li and Andreas Preuß (Manager Borussia Düsseldorf, right) (Photo: Borussia Düsseldorf)