After the transfer moves that have seen Premier League legends Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka join Shanghai Shenhua to more recent times with Robinho signing for Guangzhou Evergrande and Asamoah Gyan entering the list of top ten highest paid players in the world at number eight (Ahead of Sergio Aguero and Yaya Toure) after joining Shanghai SIPG, you have to ask yourself the question – is China becoming the late payday for the modern footballer?
Marred by corruption, illegal betting and violence on and off the pitch, Chinese football has been in dire need of a reform. After the government has promised to help fix the state of the countries most popular spectator sport it seems clubs and owners are tempting experienced and well known players to draw attention and build the popularity of the game. With increasing TV deals along with kit sponsorships and endorsements, there is more money in the beautiful game than ever before and with Europe leading the charge, is it a matter of time before the money ball spins into Asia?
At what point does this become an issue though? With high profile players such as Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Robbie Keane sunning themselves in the MLS, people forget about lower league players who have been plucked by the ‘America Bug’ such as Bradley Wright-Phillips, who has shone for NY Red Bulls since joining and earns double the League One average he was on before leaving with Charlton, Plymouth and Brentford and Liam Ridgewell above the Championship average wage with just below £10,000 a week with Portland Timbers. My point is, at what point to lower division sides begin to lose players when countries such as the USA and China can offer over double or triple if they decided the player was key. This is something you have to question when players such as Sunderland star-turned-flop Asamoah Gyan now earning a reported £227,000 in China.
But, one thing European football is majorly enticed by is reputation. The corruption riddled Chinese Super League is just as the title says… A payday. With more and more players looking to make a name for themselves worldwide and football viewership on the rise, it’s more than just your salary that’s up for grabs. Endorsement deals are at an all time high, with big companies such as Nike and Adidas competing to have the best players wearing their products. Lead brand players are on huge deals to be the face of a company, with Lionel Messi earning £1.3m for endorsing Adidas alone, and Cristiano Ronaldo on a staggering £14.1m for endorsing Nike, it seems to be more appealing to take the gamble work your way to the top of the tree in Europe, where players like Raheem Sterling and Patrick Roberts are expected to be in years to come.
With a tarnished reputation that needs years of stability to maintain and a reform needed the size of Mount Everest – will China ever be more than a last minute payday for players? I don’t see it occurring anytime soon.
Seat343 