#4 Chinese football could be taken to another level
However cynical we may be regarding the financial firepower of the Chinese Super League at present and it’s potential to disassemble European football, there’s positivity in the concept of football developing in the Far East. There’s no doubting that the arrival of Messi at Hebei Fortune would really lay down the intentions the league’s members have; they are not merely ridiculously wealthy teams bringing in whatever big name they can left-right-and-centre, they are serious about their football.
Former Barcelona legend Xavi Hernandez is seeing out his career with Al Sadd in Qatar, which was a decision labelled as a project rather than a transfer deal. The Spaniard is helping to grow football in the country set to host the 2022 World Cup and Messi would do much the same in China. According to Yutang Sports’ 2015 Broadcast Report, football was China’s most watched sport two years ago, attracting more than one billion views over the course of 2015.
The problem is that the majority of Chinese football fans tune in to watch their favourite Premier League, La Liga or Bundesliga outfit as opposed to the Chinese Super League. That, however, could change if Messi were to join Fortune.
The potential to see the world’s greatest player would draw more and more fans to the matches themselves whilst TV viewership figures would undoubtedly rise. On the pitch, Messi would raise the standard and players become better when they play around talent superior to them, so the overall quality of the league could also see gradual improvements.
Other teams across the Chinese Super League may grow envious of the publicity and success Fortune would receive, increasing the likelihood of other Chinese clubs, armed with the money to do so, attracting even bigger names, potentially leading to Chinese football stamping down a serious marker in world football.
