- April 15, 2015
- 10:23 am
- Sara K. Gramata
- no comments
China: Soccer’s new hot destination
An interesting and timely analysis of the growth of soccer overseas by Isabella Togni:
Most Brazilian players dreams are to make it to the top European football clubs. But lately these players are moving to a different sporting nation, China.
Even though the English Premier League, Spain’s La Liga, and the Bundesliga in Germany have dominated the market of soccer, China is becoming a new destination for some of Brazil’s best soccer players. This is all due to the large investments dedicated to boost soccer in the Asian country, thus making Chinese teams more attractive to Brazilian and South American players. Higher salary offers have sparked the interest of players to move to China. Who wouldn’t want more money?
China’s investments have been piling up on foreign players, becoming the third country with the highest spending on international transfers in 2015. Chinese clubs have spent more than $85 million on the international market through March 17, more than five times it spent in 2013. Look out Ukraine, Italy, and Spain, China’s about to surpass you.
Established players such as Neymar will still make a lot more in the top European teams, including earnings with sponsors and endorsements. It’s the second tier players that will find China the most beneficial.
With China investing so much in soccer, how will the rest of the world compete?