Ronaldo’s Saudi move another symbol of China’s decline

Agency :
Cristiano Ronaldo’s headline-grabbing arrival at Al Nassr with a super pay deal caught global attention last month, but in an alternative world the five-time Ballon D’or winner might have been destined for another move east.
The Portuguese striker’s move to Saudi Arabia following the termination of his contract with Manchester United have highlighted a shift in Asian football that began before the Covid-19 pandemic and continues to have a significant impact.
As funds flowed to clubs, often owned by debt-financed real estate developers, the Chinese Super League (CSL) has attracted an increasing number of top players and coaches to the country since the beginning of the last decade.
Shanghai SIPG’s signing of Brazilian duo Oscar and Hulk in 2016 for combined transfer fees of 130 million euros ($141.27 million) underscored the intent of a league that had already attracted coaches from world champions Marcello Lippi and Luiz Felipe Scolari .
Carlos Tevez’s arrival at Shanghai Shenhua shortly after, reportedly making £600,000 ($743,820.00) a week, only confirmed China’s status as football’s newest El Dorado.
Authorities were concerned about overspending on tightened regulations but did little to quash speculation that the game’s biggest names were tied to China and it came as no surprise when both Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were involved with CSL clubs in were connected.
Ronaldo in particular has been consistently linked with a move east, with fast-rising, high-spending Tianjin Quanjian being touted as a possible target in 2018 after the forward’s agent Jorge Mendes was pictured with the club’s owner.
However, five years later, a lot has changed.
Tianjin was among the first in a string of CSL clubs to be shut down due to financial or legal problems, most recently Wuhan Yangtze which was shut down this week.
The downturn in Chinese football has spared few.
Jiangsu Suning, which owns one of the country’s top retailers, disbanded in early 2021, months after first winning the CSL title.
Two-time Asian champions Guangzhou FC, once the dominant force in Chinese football, faltered after its owners, developers China Evergrande, were forced to cut funding after the government restricted borrowing.