How the Chinese Super League is becoming the new big-spending super-power

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Which country has spent the most money on January transfers? It seems such a simple question and, yet, the answer is one you might not totally expect – China. Yeah. The Chinese Super League has seen colossal levels of investment in the last few years, attracting a number of high-profile players and paying them ludicrous sums of money.

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It really first hit the headlines when Shanghai Shenhua signed Chelsea’s Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka in 2012 and from there the number of high-profile foreign names has grown and grown. Robinho, Demba Ba, Asamoah Gyan, Gervinho, Diego Tardelli and former Wolves midfielder Nenad Milijas have all taken the highly paid move to the Far East despite the obvious step down in quality.

China has an obsession with South Americans though and Ramires looks set to be the next to join the exodus. Former Spurs man Paulinho did so in the summer while one of the world’s highest paid players – Argentine Dario Conca – is still plying his trade in China. The Super League is quickly becoming a retirement home for players looking to make a quick buck.

And that’s the issue here – money. The reason China has all these imports is the ridiculous amount of money they are willing to offer any club for a foreign talent. Ramires is set to cost Jiangsu £25 million if the deal goes through, a sum most clubs with sense would balk at. Not in China though.

It’s not only limited to players though. High profile managers are being paid exorbitant amounts to lend their expertise to the Chinese game. Luiz Felipe Scolari, Alberto Zaccheroni, Dan Petrescu and, naturally when big money is floating around, Sven Goran Eriksson are all current managers in the league while former bosses include World Cup winner Marcelo Lippi and Fabio Cannavaro. These high profile bosses might bring name value but it is also hampering the development of Chinese managers – of the 16 clubs only THREE have Chinese bosses – which really doesn’t solve any of the long-term struggles the world’s biggest nation has had footballing wise.

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The other real concern is where all this money is coming from and whether or not it is really sustainable. In this window alone, Ramires’ future employers Jiangsu have seen bids for AC Milan striker Luiz Adriano and Inter midfielder Fredy Guarin fail because of what the representatives of each player essentially did not trust the owners with monetary promises they were making. While it would be wrong to flat out say something dodgy is going on, the two failed moves perhaps raise concerns on the sustainability of the Chinese spending.

This post however is not just about China and its outrageous spending. Far from it. This is more about what this says about the way football and a footballer’s attitude to their career has evolved in recent years. See in the past, most footballers wanted to make the most of their careers – win trophies, play games etc. However, it seems now that making as much money as you can is by far and away the more important factor in a player’s decision to move.

What’s most concerning about this is that a number of talented players in the prime of their career could be tempted to stall their career for the chance to earn millions and millions for doing very little. Nigerian Imoh Ezekiel is a case in point as he left Belgium at just 21 to earn big money in the UAE for a year. Asamoah Gyan had a good season in the Premier League before wanting to leave for money and he’s now in China. Gervinho, in the prime of his career at Roma, has recently taken a huge wad of money to go and play in China. Ramires looks set to leave one of the most competitive and tough leagues in the world to go and earn a load of cash in China. It’s a never ending cycle and it looks like it will only get worse in the near future.

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Can you blame them though? For many footballers, a move to a very different culture is one that is done to provide for their families and ensure financial security for pretty much the rest of their lives. Many people working normal, mundane jobs also aim to provide that for their family but that can take years upon years to do while these young men have the opportunity to do so in just a couple of years. It becomes a no brainer then. This is the sad reality of football now. Money talks louder than success ever can.

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