{{short description|American soccer player (born 2001)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}} {{family name hatnote|Sun|lang=Chinese}} {{Infobox football biography |name = Sun Delin |image = |fullname = |birth_date = {{birth date and age|2001|1|20|df=y}} |birth_place = Washington, D.C., United States |height = 1.75 m<ref>{{WorldFootball.net|sterling-seyedin}}</ref> |currentclub = Dongguan United |clubnumber = |position = Midfielder |youthyears1 = 2017–2021 |youthclubs1 = Guangzhou City |years1 = 2021–2022 |clubs1 = 1. FC Düren II |caps1 = 6 |goals1 = 0 |years2 = 2022 |clubs2 = Guangzhou City |caps2 = 1 |goals2 = 0 |years3 = 2023– |clubs3 = Dongguan United |caps3 = 3 |goals3 = 0 |nationalyears1 = |nationalteam1 = |nationalcaps1 = |nationalgoals1 = |club-update = 17:14, 24 November 2023 (UTC) |nationalteam-update = }} '''Sun Delin''' ({{zh|s=孙德林|t=|p=}}; born 20 January 2001), known outside of China as '''Sterling Seyedin''' or '''Dylan Sterling''', is an American soccer player who plays as a midfielder.

==Early life== Born in Washington, D.C. in the United States to a Chinese mother and an Iranian-American father, Sun's family moved to Guangzhou, China shortly after his birth.<ref name=qqgfw>{{cite web|url=http://www.qqgfw.com/News_1Info.aspx?News_1ID=13766|title=中美混血冠军曾扮演李小龙弟弟|trans-title=The Chinese-American mixed-race champion once played the role of Bruce Lee's brother|date=25 August 2012|accessdate=26 April 2023|website=qqgfw.com|language=Chinese}}</ref>

As well as taking an interest in football at a young age, he also played a lot of other sports, most notably martial arts, winning a number of gold medals in international tournaments.<ref name=qqgfw/> He also played basketball as a child, and featured in a commercial with NBA player Kevin Garnett.<ref name=qqgfw/>

==Club career== Sun first started playing football at a young age, and while preparing to star in the lead role in a film called "Little Flag Raiser" - a film about a boy who likes to play football - he was given the opportunity to train with a women's football team at the Guangdong Olympic Stadium in preparation for the role.<ref name=qqgfw/> He also received personal football training from former Chinese international Chi Minghua.<ref name=qqgfw/>

At the age of sixteen, Sun joined the academy of professional side Guangzhou City.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://k.sina.com.cn/article_2083455360_v7c2f01800190187mi.html?from=ent&subch=oent|title=康家小将多重身份，演员or球员？广州城队主力球员孙德林来咯！|trans-title=The young general of the Kang family has multiple identities, actor or player? Sun Delin, the main player of the Guangzhou City team, is here!|date=23 September 2022|accessdate=26 April 2023|website=k.sina.com.cn|language=Chinese}}</ref> He progressed through the academy, before moving to Germany in 2021 to sign with 1. FC Düren.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202108/20/WS611f7ca1a310efa1bd66a2d9.html|title=China-trained soccer phenom joins Germany club|first=Caixiong|last=Zheng|date=20 August 2021|accessdate=26 April 2023|website=chinadaily.com.cn}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sohu.com/a/490923016_121119656|title=从广州到科隆，这是他的故事|trans-title=From Guangzhou to Cologne, this is his story|date=19 September 2021|accessdate=26 April 2023|website=sohu.com|language=Chinese}}</ref> While in Germany, he featured solely for the reserve team of FC Duren.

In 2022, he returned to China and re-joined Guangzhou City, going on to make his debut in the Chinese FA Cup, providing an assist for Wu Chengru's goal in the 1–0 win over Xi'an Ronghai.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://new.qq.com/rain/a/20221116A06ODC|title=孙德林首秀献助攻，广州城晋级足协杯第三轮|trans-title=Sun Delin provided assists in his debut, Guangzhou City advanced to the third round of the FA Cup|accessdate=26 April 2023|website=new.qq.com|language=Chinese}}</ref> He would go on to make two more appearances for Guangzhou City, including one in the Chinese Super League, but left the club following its dissolution at the conclusion of the 2022 season.

He joined China League One side Dongguan United in August 2023.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sohu.com/a/716337035_121687421|title=官宣 - 球员孙德林、张迅伟加盟东莞莞联足球俱乐部|trans-title=Official announcement - Players Sun Delin and Zhang Xunwei join Dongguan Guanlian Football Club|date=3 August 2023|access-date=24 November 2023|website=sohu.com|language=zh}}</ref>

==Acting career== Sun took an interest in acting from a young age, and appeared in his first television commercial at the age of one year and four months old.<ref name=qqgfw/> By the age of eleven, he had featured in almost 1000 commercials, as well as being cast in a number of TV shows and movies.<ref name=qqgfw/> In October 2022, he was cast to play an adult Kang Qizu in ''Kang's Family'', rather than the actors who had previously portrayed Kang.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sohu.com/a/661770959_121159271|title=《外来媳妇本地郎》三代康保罗：谢恩退出康家，孙德林比阿祖还老|trans-title="Migrant Wives, Local Husbands" Three Generations of Kang Paul: Shane quits the Kang family, Sun Delin is older than Azu|date=1 April 2023|access-date=24 November 2023|website=sohu.com|language=zh}}</ref>

==Career statistics==

===Club=== {{updated|24 November 2023.}}<ref>{{Soccerway|delin-sun/863098}}</ref>

{| class=wikitable style=text-align:center |+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition |- !rowspan="2"|Club !rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="3"|League !colspan="2"|Cup !colspan="2"|Other !colspan="2"|Total |- !Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals |- |1. FC Düren II |2021–22 |Landesliga Mittelrhein |6||0||colspan="2"|–||0||0||6||0 |- |Guangzhou City |2022 |Chinese Super League |1||0||2{{efn|name=CFAC|Appearances in the Chinese FA Cup}}||0||0||0||3||0 |- |Dongguan United |2023 |China League One |3||0||0||0||0||0||3||0 |- ! colspan=3 | Career total !10!!0!!2!!0!!0!!0!!12!!0 |} ;Notes {{notelist}}

==References== {{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sun, Delin}} Category:2001 births Category:Living people Category:Soccer players from Washington, D.C. Category:Soccer players from Maryland Category:American people of Chinese descent Category:American people of Iranian descent Category:American men's soccer players Category:Chinese men's footballers Category:Men's association football midfielders Category:Chinese Super League players Category:China League One players Category:21st-century Chinese sportsmen <!--Category:1. FC Düren players--> Category:Guangzhou City F.C. players Category:Foshan Nanshi F.C. players Category:American expatriate men's soccer players Category:American expatriate sportspeople in Germany Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Germany Category:Chinese expatriate men's footballers Category:Chinese expatriate sportspeople in Germany Category:Chinese male child actors Category:Chinese male models Category:21st-century American sportsmen Category:21st-century Chinese male actors