Brazilian striker Goulart Pereira currently plays in the Chinese Super League. (Photo : Reuters)
Guangzhou Evergrande grabbed its fifth straight Chinese Super League (CSL) title. This is apart from the Coach of the Year and the Golden Ball award given to the team's coach Luis Felipe Scolari and power player Goulart.
Both hailing from Brazil, the two have helped in steering Evergrande to the championship.
The 67-year-old Scolari took over the coaching duties for Evergrande midway the 2015 season. The team maintained its clean records under his rein with 11 wins and 5 draws.
Back in 2002, Scolari also led his native team to snatch the 2002 World Cup championship trophy.
Goulart also received the Silver Boot award after he finished second for the most number of goals this season. With 19 goals, he became a runner-up to Shandong Luneng's Brazilian forward Alosio Dos Santos Goncalves, who scored 22 goals.
Evergrande's goalie Zeng Cheng was also handed the Golden Glove award
Meanwhile, Chinese international striker Wu Lei won his third consecutive Best Local Scorer award. Despite recognition, he remarked: "It's a pity I missed several opportunities this year, and there is still room for improvement."
For the past eight years, foreign players have claimed the Golden Boot award. The last Chinese player who was awarded with the recognition was Li Jinyu. Back in 2006, he was able to garner a total of 26 goals--an overwhelming figure to beat for today's local players.
Local strikers have also found it harder to be included in the starting lineup as more international names continue to be invited to play in the Chinese league.
