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The Chinese Super League was noticed across the globe when it started displaying its financial prowess. It started with popular European footballers joining the league as they came closer towards hanging their boots. China soon became a destination for enjoying lucrative wages and renowned players in their prime also started considering it a potential destination.
Before anyone knew it, the Chinese Super League had become home to some of the most sought after players. They were snatching away targets from top clubs who were used to competing with Europe's elite in the Champions League.
Now there is no debate about the fact that footballers are concerned about what they earn, it's quite natural. The offers from China were at times too good to be refused and abandoning top quality football in Europe to avail them did not seem to be a major regret.
The Chinese Super League on the other hand used these star attractions to in fact accelerate and elevate their profits. It is also a fact that having some popular faces from Europe has helped improve the quality of football played at grassroots levels in China.
So without any further ado, let's take a loot at 10 footballers who received the highest ever wages in China:
Note: All wages are as listed by the The Daily Star
#10 Marouane Fellaini - £205,000 per week
Marouane Fellaini departed for China after a five-and-a-half year spell with Manchester United. The Belgian divided opinion during his time at Old Trafford and was liked by a certain set of fans, while others steadily grew out of love with him. Fellaini joined Chinese Super League club Shandong Luneng in January 2019.
The 34-year old is on a £205,000-per-week package in China which is more than handsome in an age when many hang their boots. For a central midfielder, his form has been pretty impressive, scoring 30 goals and assisting another five in just 73 appearances.
The Belgian's time with the Red Devils coincided with a period when they were in decline after Sir Alex Ferguson had retired. However, he did win four trophies with United, including the Europa League. Fellaini's solitary trophy in China is the 2020 FA Cup.
#9 Eder - £213,000 per week
In what turned out to be a great gamble, Inter Milan forward Eder proved quite a hit in China, compared to his time in Italy. Over the course of three seasons in Italy, Eder could only score a mere 14 goals for Inter. Jiangsu Suning decided to give the Brazilian a chance to showcase his ability in China and he made the most of it.
In his 32 games in China, the Italian made 50 goal contributions and clearly made his £213,000 per week wages look well deserved. The club won the Chinese Super League in 2020 with Eder scoring crucial match-winners and equalizers.
Suning, who owns Jiangsu, was also one of Inter's major stakeholders and explored the idea of bringing their flop from one club to another. The striker played alongside other popular names like ex-Chelsea midfielder Ramires and Alex Teixeira from Shakhtar Donetsk. The forward is now playing for Sao Paulo in Brazil.
#8 Paulinho - £230,000 per week
Paulinho was part of some big money transfers that saw him land and leave China. He was sold for heavy transfer fees in both cases and hence due to being in demand he was quite a lofty earner. In fact, he was in and out of China quite frequently.
He first moved to Guangzhou Evergrande from Spurs in 2015, then joined Barcelona in 2017 and was back again in China in 2018. He was on a contract that saw him earn £230,000 weekly. His impact was visible from the get go in the Chinese Super League as he helped GZ Evergrande to two successive titles.
Paulinho made a total of 256 appearances during his two stints in China, scoring 75 goals and laying assists for another 29. He also got his hands on the Chinese Super Cup and FA Cup in his first spell.
#7 Stephan El Shaarawy - £247,000 per week
Stephan El Shaarawy is one of the few footballers who came to China and was then successfully able to make it back to the top level of European football. He joined the Chinese Super League club Shanghai Shenua for a healthy weekly wage of £247,000 per week.
The Italian entered the final twelve months of contract with Roma in 2019. The club were trying to negotiate a new contract but the player wasn't happy with the wages offered. So when the Chinese club came offering a big sum, Shaarawy accepted the challenge in Asia.
However, it was a brief stay in which the Roma player made only 19 appearances. He did win the Chinese FA Cup medal so at least he did get himself a souvenir alongside the cash. He rejoined Roma in January 2021 as a free agent.
#6 Graziano Pelle - £263,000 per week
The Italian striker moved to China in 2016 after he decided to switch allegiances from Premier League club Southampton to Shandong Luneng. It was a surprising move for many because by no means was Graziano Pelle performing badly in the Premier League. He was pretty much Southampton's most potent threat in front of goal.
Pelle was always going to be a hit in China and he did go on to be one. The Italian scored on 63 occasions in 133 appearances, further lending 24 assists. Luneng was availing his services for £263,000 per week. After his Chinese adventure came to an end in 2020, he joined Serie A club, Parma.
The Italian currently finds himself without a club and some suggest he might just have played his final game.
#5 Hulk - £320,000 per week
He received a lot of attention for carrying the name of one of Marvel's most popular superhero characters. But Hulk turned all that attention to admiration and praise through his on-field performances. He was absolutely lethal in front of goal and he was quite brilliant at using his strong frame.
So naturally when Hulk moved from Zenit Petersburg to Shanghai SIPG as the record signing in Asian football history back then, many sensed a lack of ambition. Nonetheless, he stayed in China for four years, where he stacked 76 goals and 54 assists in 145 appearances. Hulk also pocketed a hefty weekly wage of £320,000 every week.
It is a shame that we never witnessed Hulk play for one of Europe's top clubs because he was absolutely of that standard. His time in China did bring him trophies as he won the Chinese Super League in 2018 and the FA Cup in 2019. The Brazilian striker ended his spell with Shanghai in 2021 before returning to his native Brazil and now plays for Atletico Mineiro.
#4 Cedric Bakambu - £341,000 per week
Many were of the belief that even though Chinese clubs had become used to exploiting and flaunting their financial powers, they were still overpaying Cedric Bakambu. But then again, this was someone who for two successive seasons had scored more than goals in the Spanish top-flight, and had already scored nine until January in his third.
What cannot be forgotten is that Bakambu was only 27 when he moved to China and he could only get better from here for the next few years. So Beijing Gouan signed him on a weekly wage of £341,000. As was expected of the former Villarreal player, he did prove quite prolific in China.
In his three years and counting, the forward has scored 58 goals in 87 appearances for the Chinese Super League club. There are some interesting rumors circling around which say that Barcelona are planning for a free transfer of Bakambu when his contract expires in January 2022.
#3 Oscar dos Santos - £500,000 per week
Oscar struggled at Chelsea during the 2016-2017 season due to a change in management when Antonio Conte took over from Jose Mourinho. The system that the new boss played made it difficult for Oscar to feature regularly in the team and he was left out for long periods. So finally when the opportunity arrived, the Brazilian gladly moved to the Chinese Super League.
He was given a bumper offer of £500,000-a-week and the player admitted that he took the offer to secure his family's future.
The attacking midfielder won the Premier League twice with Chelsea and also the Europa League in 2013. He did not stay deprived of silverware in China as well, winning the Chinese Super League and the FA Cup with Shanghai SIPG.
Oscar is still playing for Shanghai and has provided 90 assists and scored 48 goals in 160 appearances.
#2 Carlos Tevez - £634,615 per week
Carlos Tevez has described his brief stay in China as a "holiday." Well, we hope everyone gets these holidays where they get paid £634,615 every week just like Tevez. The Argentine moved from Boca Juniors to Shanghai Shenhua in 2017
33 at the time of his move, Tevez was clearly in the twilight of his career but the Chinese Super League club still bought him as a star attraction for the league. Just a season later, after making 20 appearances, he re-joined his boyhood club Boca Juniors before leaving them earlier this year.
The veteran striker has won trophies all around Europe with multiple clubs. He won the Premier League with both Manchester United and Manchester City. He got his hands on the Serie A title twice with Juventus. In fact, on his so called "holiday" in China, Tevez managed to win the Chinese FA Cup too.
#1 Ezequiel Lavezzi - £798,000 per week
China was the final phase of Ezequiel Lavezzi's 15-year long senior football career and the Argentina international bowed out in some style. He was on a ridiculous weekly wage of £798,000 when he was contracted with Hebei China. Lavezzi played for four years in China before he finally hung up his boots in 2019.
Unfortunately, the footballer who commanded the highest wages in China never got his hands on any silverware in the country. Individually, he churned out all-round performances, having scored 35 goals and provided 32 assists in his 75 apperances.
Lavezzi enjoyed the most successful period of his career when was with Paris Saint-Germain. The Argentine won a total of nine French domestic trophies with the Parisians, including four Ligue 1 titles. The former PSG forward is also an Olympic winner with the Argentina team that won gold in 2008.
