There are rumors that soccer legends Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo may potentially transfer to the Chinese Super League. La Liga President Javier Tebas, however, shared his hope that the two soccer stars will not make the move in the future.
Tebas told AFP in Singapore that he welcomes China’s fast-growing interest in football. He surmised that the Chinese Super League, which is heavily funded, is on the road to becoming one of the top football leagues in the world. China currently has investments in Spain’s Atletico Madrid and Espanyol. One company supported by China has a $400-million stake in England’s Manchester City while another Chinese firm sponsors Portugal’s second division.
President Xi Jinping of China planned to make the country a football power, and one of the key steps would be to acquire foreign players. During the transfer window between January and February 2016, China broke the Asian transfer record four times by spending $366.8 million.
Jackson Martinez, Atletico’s striker from Colombia, signed with the Guangzhou Evergrande for $47 million during the recent transfer window, writes BBC. China has been spending a lot in importing foreign talents and Javier Tebas wishes that two of the biggest names in the league, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, will not be convinced to play in China.
“You’ll have to ask them but I certainly hope not. There are enough football stars to go around,” Javier Tebas said. “Even though some improvement is needed at the moment, it’s slowly raising its standard.”
Javier Tebas added that if the standard of the Chinese Super League improves in a few years, it can become one of the top leagues in a global scale. All of them will acquire benefits because China’s growth will also mean that they can all work together to boost standards.
At present, it is unlikely that Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo would sign with the Chinese Super League. If they decide to do so, it might happen just a few years before they officially retire from football. Javier Tebas also said that the ability of La Liga to retain key players will depend on how much it can spend.
