Guangzhou Evergrande striker Elkeson (middle) in action against Sanfrecce Hiroshima during the 3rd place match of the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup last month. (Photo : Getty Images)
Reports have recently went out that clubs from the Chinese Super League, China's highest tier of professional association football, are attracting more and more South American footballers, particularly those from the Brazilian Serie A, as the league continues to offer "stratospheric salaries" to notable international players.
Xinhuanet indicated that it all began when Argentine footballer Dario Conca signed with CSL club Guangzhou Evergrande in July 2011 for a domestic transfer record fee of $10 million from Campeonato Brasileiro Série A's Fluminese.
Conca reportedly received an annual salary of $12 million in a two-and-a-half year contract, which was at that time considered as the third highest compensation for a footballer player behind world football superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
The move did not make international headlines at that time, but it surely was noted by leading players from South America, particularly Brazil.
From then on, the report said that "a steady stream of Brazilians have followed in Conca's footsteps, with the number multiplying in recent months".
Some of the noteworthy Brazilian players who are now playing in China are Elkeson, Paulinho, Alan, Robinho, and Ricardo Goulart, all of whom are suiting up for five-time CSL champions and two-time AFC Champions League winners Evergrande. Even its head coach, 2002 World Cup-winning manager Luiz Felipe Scolari, is a Brazilian.
Four-time CSL winner Shandong Luneng has four Brazilians in its roster, namely Jucilei, Junior Urso, Aloisio, and Diego Tardelli. Another CSL team, Beijing Guoan, and China League One club Tianjin Quanjian also have multiple Brazilian players.
"It changes your financial life," Tardelli said, via Sportskeeda. "It's great to play in Brazil with the fans and the constant pressure to perform. But the salaries in China are higher and they are paid on time. I'm 30 years old and I have to think about my future."
As the Chinese government, led by President Xi Jinping, continues to support local football in China, expect the sport to draw an even greater number of world-class footballers maybe even from Europe and America.
