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The Chinese Super League has recently been a big attraction to several players in Europe. The teams in the two tiers of Chinese football have spent a combined amount of €200 million in the January transfer window alone, making them the biggest spenders in Asia.It is a big surprise to see players who have played in the top tiers of European football make a move to China but, in this day and age, money and wages are becoming a hard offer to turn down for a footballer. We have generally seen players moving to China because of a lack of game time at their current clubs, or to earn one last big paycheck as they enter the fag end of their careers.But even after taking these factors into consideration we are still left astonished when a household name comes up in the news. Here are seven players who shocked everyone by opting to play in China:
#1 Jackson Matinez - Guangzhou Evergrande
The most recent of the Chinese transfer saga, Jackson Martinez made the move to Guangzhou Evergrande from Atletico Madrid in the recently concluded January transfer window, sending shockwaves throughout the footballing world. The 29-year-old only moved to the Madrid outfit in the summer after gaining the reputation of a prolific goal scorer with Porto in the Portuguese Primeira Liga.
Martinez had a tough few months at Atletico, scoring only twice in 15 La Liga appearances. There was also a report of a fallout between the player and manager Diego Simeone, with the latter asking for the forward to be placed on the transfer list.
Martinez though was reluctant at first for a move but eventually agreed to sign for the Chinese club. People were expecting the Colombian hitman to make the move to another European team considering he was still only 29 and had a few good years left in him.
The likes of Arsenal and Tottenham were reportedly after his signature in the summer when Atletico swooped in. But unfortunately, they have probably lost their chance to sign him for good. Martinez has now become the most expensive transfer in Chinese history breaking a record which was set only a week ago by fellow South American Ramires.
#2 Didier Drogba - Shanghai Shenhua
Drogba was a tormenter of defenders when he was playing in the Premier League for Chelsea. The Blues legend made 226 appearances for the club scoring a remarkable 100 goals. In the 2011/12 season, the fans voted Drogba as their greatest player of all time in a poll of 20,000 conducted by Chelsea magazine.
In May of that same year, Chelsea released an official statement on their website stating Drogba would be leaving at the end of the season after letting his contract expire. Several teams in the Premier League were looking to sign him but, to everyone’s surprise, he signed for Shanghai Shenhua on a free transfer.
Drogba became the second Chelsea player to make the move to China after Nicolas Anelka had signed for the same outfit. The Ivorian was reported to be offered a two-and-a-half-year contract earning a reported £200,000 a week.
Drogba helped the club finish in 9th place, a huge improvement considering they were 13th in the league when he arrived. But Drogba’s stint lasted only six months before it was announced that he would be signing for Galatasaray.
There was apparently a power struggle for the control of the club between several parties which led to players’ wages not being paid. When Drogba decided to depart, the club stated that he had breached the rules of his contract. Drogba appealed to FIFA justifying that his wages were not paid and was allowed to play for Galatasaray after he won the contract dispute.
#3 Demba Ba - Shangai Shenhua
Ex-Chelsea players moving to China has become a trend in the last few years and Demba Ba is now part of that after signed for Shangai Shenhua in June 2015.
Demba Ba burst onto the Premier League scene when he moved to Newcastle by opening his account with a hat-trick in a 3-1 win over Blackburn Rovers in 2011.
Chelsea eventually won his signature with whom Ba signed a three-year deal. The move backfired as Ba was unable to rediscover the form that made him so dangerous for Newcastle United. In his two seasons at Chelsea, he only made 33 appearances scoring seven times.
After a one-year stint at Besiktas, he signed for Chinese outfit Shanghai Shenhua. He made the shock move to the Chinese Super League despite having a good season with the Turkish club. The Senegalese striker signed a three-year contract in a deal worth around £9 million. It was an unexpected move as there were several Premier League times vying for his signature, most notably his old club West Ham.
Demba Ba has been doing well for the Chinese outfit scoring six goals in eleven appearances. But he’s not alone, Tim Cahill formerly of Everton and Mohamed Sissoko who once played for Cahill’s local rivals Liverpool are also playing for the club. Demba Ba earns a mouth watering €6 million in wages at the club. But it looks the investment is paying off at the moment.
#4 Gervinho - Hebei China
The name Gervinho is very familiar to Arsenal fans for all the wrong reasons. The Ivory Coast international started off his Arsenal career in unforgettable fashion by getting himself sent off on his debut against Newcastle. He left the Emirates for Italian side Roma after an unsuccessful two year spell.
After his move to Serie A, Gervinho really started to shine helping the club to a second-placed finish and also reaching the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia.
So it came as a huge shock when it was announced that he had made the move to China by signing for Hebei China Fortune in January 2016. Why would a player who has finally found his feet in Europe suddenly leave? The culprit turned out to be money for the Ivory Coast International.
When manager Luciano Spalletti was asked why he left the club he simply stated they were offering triple the wages Roma were paying him. Talk about a salary hike! The fee was reported to be in the region of €18 million with Roma said to receive an additional €1m depending upon the club’s as well as the 28-year-old’s performance
He has linked up with fellow African Stephan Mbia at the club. Hebei China Fortune recently gained promotion to the Chinese Super League after finishing second in League One.
#5 Ramires - Jiangsu Suning
Up until 2 February 2016, Ramires was the most expensive signing by a Chinese club, making the move from Chelsea. That record was broken after Jackson Martinez’s transfer. He was signed by Jiangsu Suning for a reported fee of £25m.
Ramires is still only 28, currently in the prime of his career. He hadn't been playing as often as expected at Chelsea, but everyone speculated Ramires would make a move to another Premier League team or, at least, a top side in Europe considering the robust midfielder’s quality.
We still don't know the main reason for the move but wages definitely must have played a part. The midfielder first arrived at Chelsea in 2010 for a reported fee of €22m. He won the Premier League as well as the Champions League with the blues. He also lifted the Europa League and FA Cup during his time there.
Ramires has already scored on his debut for his new club and will probably go on to get a few more considering his quality. The Super League team is currently managed by Dan Petrescu. He is a former Chelsea man himself and has a wealth of managerial experience in Europe coaching several clubs in countries like Poland, Romania and Russia. Ramires is reportedly earning a cool £200,000-a-week, double of what he was earning at Chelsea, which was after a contract renewal in October 2015.
#6 Ezequiel Lavezzi - Hebei China Fortune
Lavezzi was one of the other surprise signings from the Chinese Super League. The 30-year-old signed with Hebei China Fortune fairly recently ending his three-and-a-half-year stay at French champions Paris Saint-Germain.
The often combustible attacker joined the Chinese side despite interest from a whole host of top European clubs including Manchester United, Chelsea and Inter Milan, stating that the project appealed to him, that and the massive pay package Hebei Fortune were offering him.
Lavezzi still has a lot of football left in him, though he has conceded that his chances of playing for the national side are all but over after the move. The Argentine was extremely successful with PSG by winning three league titles and two league cups and will expect a similar return with his new team.
#7 Alex Teixeira - Jiangsu Suning
Probably the one player that no one expected to move to China, Alex Teixeira was linked with a big money move to Premier League side Liverpool. The Reds had also put in a 32 million euros for the 26-year-old Brazilian which his former club, Shakhtar Donetsk rejected.
It was rejected by the Ukrainian side and on 5 February 2016, Alex had signed for Jiangsu Suning for a record breaking figure of 50 million euros. Liverpool were caught out by the financial power of the Chinese side but this just showed that the league meant business.
Teixeira though was one of the best performers for Shakhtar in this season’s UEFA Champions League and had scored 26 goals in 25 games. Jiangsu will be expecting a similar return from their expensive signing.
