Vicente de Paula Neto, the first foreign footballer to have played more than 300 games in China, signed a contract extension with his current club, Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard. (Photo : Twitter)
Vicente de Paula Neto is the first foreign footballer to have played more than 300 games in China, spanning his career across six Chinese clubs. The 38-year-old striker-turned-defender signed a contract extension with his current club Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard.
Vicente, as he is fondly called by his teammates, has been a fixture at the China League One Club since 2013, spending his three seasons there with 100 appearances. Nonetheless, finer details about his contract expansion have not been made public, the GB Times reported.
The Brazilian player plied his trade for the most part in Chinese clubs, having moved to Wuhan Guanggu in 2004--a time when not so many foreigners would consider the Far East for football. He played his 300th match in China with his current club on Sept. 19, 2015, the longest feat by a foreign player in China.
Vicente, however, was quite a journeyman in China, as he practically toured the country in 14 seasons by spending them in nine Chinese clubs situated within four cities in the country. His longest stint was with his current club, which is situated in the distant city of Urumqi in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
With age fast catching up on pace and striking ability, Vicente opted to play as a defender in his most recent seasons. However, his career as a striker was by no means an insignificant one--he scored 71 goals as a pacey forward, helping two of the Wuhan clubs he joined to qualify in the Chinese Super League.
Having been among the first to lead a Brazilian contingent of players to Chinese football (he was only one of three when he first signed in 14 seasons ago), Vicente stands as a real veteran of the game--one that witnessed it evolve in China as it's currently building to become a reckonable force.
