Eclipse behind the Sun - Ng Yee Sun in Madrid, Spain

By Aidan - ballpackers
6 March 2026

Under the Madrilenian moon, the towering Sun creates a total eclipse, the goal impenetrable in his shadow.⁣

At almost 2m tall, Ng Yee Sun, who goes by “Sun”, is a 22-year-old Hong Kong goalkeeper playing for UD Usera in the South of Madrid.⁣

Goalkeeping is in his genes – and not just because of his height. Sun’s father was also a goalkeeper and raised him idolising Rinat Dasayev, an aerially dominant Soviet who defended the goal for Sevilla.⁣

Sun’s journey is not typical of a Hong Kong footballer. He started playing football in Hong Kong at the relatively late age of 11, moving between Kitchee, Yau Tsim Mong, Chelsea Football School, and Rangers.⁣

Sun’s three years at Sporting was filled with priceless experiences. Not many can say they’ve trained with Bruno Fernandes and Nuno Mendes, nor played at Estádio José Alvalade. Following Sporting, Sun had stints at Amora Futebol Clube, Belenenses SAD and Vitória de Setúbal, where he got his first taste of senior football, before a move to Spain, initially to C.D. Colonia Moscardó.⁣

“(At the professional level) a good year can earn you a promotion two tiers upwards and you can quadruple your salary. A bad year can make you unemployed the next year. So, there’s another type of competition.”⁣

Now in Spain

While he received offers from RFEF 2 (fourth tier) clubs this season, the shot-stopper signed with UD Usera in the sixth tier to maximise playing time and says that the level is intense even in the lower leagues. He hopes regular football can help him secure a move to a higher division.⁣

“I definitely want to stay in Europe, and if I can stay in Spain, it would be perfect. I had the luck to come to Europe so I’ll do my best to stay here.”⁣

Sun was close to a call-up to the Hong Kong U22 Representative Team last May after being named in the preliminary squad. The opportunity fell through as he was not playing for this club at the time due to paperwork challenges, but maintains that his focus is firstly on club football.⁣⁣

“My main focus right now is my personal growth in club football. National team (call ups) will come naturally.”⁣

Spain vs Hong Kong

With his magnetic smile and jovial nature, it’s clear that the young Hong Konger has embraced the Spanish lifestyle.⁣

“The stereotypes are true”, he jokes.⁣⁣

“In Hong Kong, often people work 12 hours a day. All they work for is money, and that is completely understandable because of the environment and the pressure. People (in Spain) care a lot about their living quality not in the materialistic sense. The ultimate goal is a quality life.”⁣

“It’s different but both of them make sense. It’s just a different way to see life.”⁣

For Sun, football is proof that hard work pays dividends, and he promises to make the most of his talent.⁣

“If I have the talent to reach first division – perfect. If lastly, my talent is to (play in the) third division, I’ll know I gave my best. I’ll know that I competed at the highest stage possible and I’ll be satisfied regardless of how it ends because I know I gave everything.”⁣

“Football is a very fair sport. You see your standard of football, which tier you’re playing in, which category of player you are. It gives very honest feedback. I love this even more than the 90-minute game.”⁣

(This is a collaboration post with ballpackers https://www.instagram.com/ballpackers/)