Political will and hefty capital mean anything is possible for Chinese Super League
The 2016 Chinese Super League which kicks off on Friday is set to be the biggest yet. During the winter the clubs created a record transfer window with China outspending the Premier League in England and spending more than the other four major European leagues (Germany, France, Spain and Italy) combined.
There are eye-watering sums being spent to attract top class players to a league which, at just 12 years old, is still in its infancy compared to those it now seeks to supersede.
The most expensive signing was Alex Teixeira, who joined Jiangsu Suning for £38 million, eclipsing Jackson Martinez’s £31m move to join Guangzhou Evergrande - the biggest club in the league.
Yes, the players are clearly being lured by the money - those I’ve mentioned so far are being paid much better here than anywhere else in the world - but previously it would have taken more than that to encourage young stars to turn their back on the more established leagues in Europe.
At Shanghai Shenhua we were invited along to an open day where fans were allowed in to watch a training session in the stadium. Also that day, Obafemi Martins, the former Newcastle and Birmingham City player, was unveiled as their latest signing. He joins Demba Ba as one of many former Premier League stars now playing in China.
For Demba Ba, an ex-Chelsea player, the reason is simple: “They invest a lot in players, on coaches, on staff as well behind the scenes, and what they offer sometimes, you know, you just go and say I’m going to take it.”
At Shanghai’s other club Shanghai SIPG there’s a familiar face in charge - Sven Goran Eriksson. He moved to China three years ago and told me he feels like he’s in the right place at the right time.
He said: “Years ago a lot of foreigners came to China but of a certain age and they were on their way down. Today young players are coming and they want to come.
"I have had phone calls from very good famous footballers who want to come here.
"So that has changed and of course in the 90’s everybody wanted to go to Italy because they had more money and they had good football of course. 2000 and so on the Premier League in England, now it seems to be China.“
He wouldn't be drawn on who he’d had calls from, he’d only say that more and more players will be coming here in the years ahead.
Sven told me Chinese Clubs haven’t just embarked on a whimsical spending spree - the country as a whole is building the foundations of a footballing nation to be reckoned with.
“I can see 10, 15 years ahead I think China will compete for the World Cup, not only host it but win it," he said. "And the reason for that is because it’s not only the top of Chinese football that is getting better and better it’s the grassroots, they are building football schools all over the country and in regular schools they have a priority: football, football, football.’’
The biggest driving force behind this football revolution in China is President Xi. The country’s leader is a massive football fan and he’s made it his mission to make the country a soccer powerhouse. Last year he announced $850 billion worth of investment is planned over the next decade to support that (his) dream.
At Shanghai Shenhua one of the fans, a young man of around 20, said he hopes to see China win the World Cup before he dies, while another said he’d give it eight to 10 years. The second fan also believes he’ll see Ronaldo come to China in that same time period.
Whether it’s wishful thinking or not, there’s clearly a growing passion for the game here. There are those who doubt that the Chinese Super League can ever really rival the MLS in the United States or the European leagues, but if there’s one thing we know about China, when there’s political will and some hefty capital involved, anything is possible.