Ma Zhen

Ma Zhen was born on June 1, 1998, in Dalian, Liaoning Province, China. His early football development began in 2017, when the Chinese Football Association organized a U20 elite training camp in Jinan that summer; Ma was admitted into that training system. The same year he joined the first team of Chengdu Qianbao, beginning the early stage of his professional career.

In 2018 Ma transferred to Tianjin Quanjian, initially not registered with the first team and only officially promoted to the senior squad for the 2019 season. On May 12, 2019, in the ninth round of the Chinese Super League, to satisfy the U23 substitution requirement Tianjin Tianhai put the U23 goalkeeper Ma Zhen on as a forward; he was substituted off after just three minutes, marking his CSL debut. That season he made one appearance for Tianjin.

On July 15, 2020, Ma joined Shanghai Shenhua on a free transfer. In the 2020 season he played four times for Shenhua, recording one clean sheet. On December 28, 2021, in the 20th round of the Chinese Super League, a mistake of his led to a goal by Oscar and drew attention to his on-field performance. In the 2021 season he totaled five appearances and kept three clean sheets.

In May 2022 Ma was included in Shanghai Shenhua’s 35-man first-team squad. During 2022 he appeared 21 times, kept nine clean sheets, and conceded 22 goals. On October 7, 2022, against Henan Songshan Longmen, he was called on after starting goalkeeper Zeng Cheng was injured; Ma made six saves, delivered an excellent performance, and set a personal best.

On April 16, 2023, in the Chinese Super League opening round he made four saves and five clearances, helping the team to a 1–0 win over Shandong Taishan, and later that month he was named the CSL’s Best Goalkeeper for April. On May 13, 2023, versus Wuhan Three Towns he made seven saves, setting his personal single-match CSL saves record. In the 2023 Chinese FA Cup he did not play in the final, but the team won 1–0. On February 25, 2024, he did not appear in the Chinese FA Super Cup, but Shenhua won the title.

In the 2024 season Ma served as the club’s backup goalkeeper and made four appearances. On January 3, 2025 he completed a loan move to newly promoted side Yunnan Yukun for a loan fee of €263,000 (about RMB 2 million). He officially joined Yunnan Yukun on February 20, 2025. In the 2025 Chinese Super League opening round he started as goalkeeper, in a 0–2 loss to Beijing Guoan.

At the national-team level, on May 16, 2017 Ma was selected for the Chinese Football Association’s U20 elite training camp. On February 8, 2019 he was called into a training squad for China’s Olympic (U-23) team but did not make the final competition roster and subsequently returned to Tianjin Tianhai.

Personal life: Ma stands 1.96 meters tall and has a long wingspan, physical attributes well suited to a goalkeeper. His goalkeeping has attracted attention but has also been involved in some controversies—for example, a May 2023 incident in which giving his jersey to a young fan was misinterpreted and sparked debate. On August 27, 2024, Fan Zhiyi’s daughter Fan Sijing posted a video on social media showing that Ma Zhen’s proposal had been successful.