Why China is becoming a quite a possibility for top footballers

The pressure factor

Graziano Pellè in action for Luneng

The pressure is much more when you play for a top European Club when compared to the clubs of the Chinese Super League. The players face a lot of pressure from the fans, the media and the board. The expectation to improve is much more and the players sometimes suffer more than we know.

In China, the clubs are new and the game is a growing sport in the nation. The teams do not have a lot of competition between them, and the rivalries are also not as fierce when compared to Europe.

No offence to the football culture in China, but the league is easy going and top players can play there without much pressure. When Carlos Tevez was playing in China, he was criticised for being overweight and unfit for the game.

Tevez was quoted saying "It's fine because I was on vacation for seven months." on his stint in China. The English Media described his move to China, as the most expensive vacation of all time. He had scored 4 goals for Shanghai Shenhua, and his transfer fee was $41 million. Every goal he scored was valued $10 million, and Diego Maradona said, "He filled Santa's sack with dollars and now he has returned to Boca".

Though Tevez's goal-return warrants criticism, some of the players like Oscar and Ricardo Vaz Te and Jose Fonte now play in a league where their every mistake on the pitch won't make the headlines the following day.