Top 10 Soccer Stars You Didnt Know Were Playing in the Chinese Super League

Who are the Top 10 Soccer Stars You Didn’t Know Were Playing in the Chinese Super League? even when making this list i just had to do my research because i didn’t know some of these players where even in the Chinese Super League, i felt so behind in football yet i call myself a football journalist hahahahaha. Anyway, we have prepared a list of the Top 10 Soccer Stars You Didn’t Know Were Playing in the Chinese Super League, you might just get shocked and surprised when going through this list.

The Chinese Super League was a project started a few years ago but money suddenly dried up and the project was stopped after it managed to Lure players like Didier Drogba and Nicklas Anelka who were paid huge amounts of money, but now the project is back again with more investors and plenty money to spend around and it has managed to lure the players we have mentioned in this article.

Top Ten Footballers You Didn’t Know Were Playing in the Chinese SL

Previously we published the Top 10 Players The Chinese SL Will Target if you have not seen it yet make sure you check it out after this list of the Top 10 Soccer Stars You Didn’t Know Were Playing in the Chinese Super League.

Let’s count down to the Top 10 Soccer Stars You Didn’t Know Were Playing in the Chinese Super League.

10. Jo

After having a very bad time in the Premier League with Manchester City when he was on loan from Everton he managed to only score 6 times in 52 games for the Cityzens before he moved back to Brazil with Athletico Mineiro where he recovered his career enough to convince Luiz Felipe Scolari to add him to the team which played in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

After leaving Dubai he joined the Jiangsu Suning in January this year and will be looking to play some very good football in China.

9. Demba Ba

Former Newcastle and Chelsea man also makes the list. Demba Ba is currently playing in the Chinese Super League with Shanghai Shenhua. Demba Ba scored an incredible 50 goals in 122 games during his time in England before leaving Chelsea for Besiktas. Before moving away from Besiktas, the Senegalese was linked with a move back to the Premier League with West Ham leading the race to his signature but, he signed for Shanghai Shenhua in 2015 where he has scored 6 goals in 11 games.

8. Paulinho

The Brazilian didn’t quite make an impact in the Premier League like we all expected him to do after joining Tottenham, he only managed to play 67 games in two seasons with Spurs but failed to impress many people at the club. Paulinho is an excellent player he also managed 32 caps with Brazil scoring five goals in the process.

After the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino at Spurs the Brazilian midfielder was sold in the summer of 2015 as he was not in the plans of the manager, he became one of the first buys of the Chinese Super League, Joining Guangzhou Evergrande for a low fee of $15 million. Paulinho has played 22 games scoring 5 goals and has won the Chinese Super League and the AFC Champions League.

7. Gervinho

Many would still think that the Ivorian is still playing in the Serie A with Roma. Gervinho played for Lille at the age of 22 to 24 scoring 36 goals in 93 games in France before getting his dream move to Arsenal in 2011 where his pace and physical technique was not used to his full potential and was transferred to Roma where he regained his form but suddenly handed in a transfer in January 2016 to join Hebei China Fortune for $17 million.

6. Tim Cahill

Aged 36 and the Australian is still playing good football not the best of his career but still the Austrian is determined and proved that at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, he can play as a midfielder but can also play as a forward. The 36-year-old is renowned for his great heading ability of the ball for a player who is under 6 feet tall. Tim Cahil spent a full 15 years in the Premier League which included an amazing 8 years with Everton before he moved to the MLS with the New York Red Bulls.

He is the all-time leading goal scorer for the Australian national team. Cahil joined Shanghai Shenhua in march 2015 and has since scored 12 goals in 32 games in the CSL.

5. Fredy Guarin

In fifth is Colombian Fredy Guarin who is currently playing for Shanghai Shenhua FC following a $12.5 million move in January 2016 after ending his four-year stint at Inter Milan he has linked up with other big names like Demba Ba, Tim Cahil, Gervinho…etc.

The Colombian International spent the last decade playing with top European sides, Saint-Etienne, Porto and Inter Milan and won 58 caps with Colombia in the process.

4. Asamoah Gyan

The former Rennes and Sunderland player makes the list. Asamoah Gyan starred at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa with Ghana, after the World Cup he joined the black cats in the Premier League before moving to the United Arab Emirates with Al Ain in 2011 first on loan and finally signed a permanent deal in 2012 which saw him earn $250k per week making him one of the highest-paid players in the world where he managed to score 90 goals in 74 games.In

In 2015 he made a big money move to Shanghai SIPG which saw him start earning a whopping $350,000-a-week making him one of the highest earners in the world. The Ghanian has scored 10 goals in 15 games in China.

3. Ramires

A transfer which we didn’t see coming. Ramires ended a six year stint at Chelsea where he played 246 games in which he won everything with Chelsea from the Premier League to the Champions League and other domestic trophies. Chelsea got an excellent deal for the tireless 28 year old midfielder this January receiving $36 million for the Brazilian who is now playing for Jiangsu Suning FC. Ramires has won over 50 caps with the Brazilian national team.

2. Jackson Martinez

In second is former FC Porto man Jackson Martinez, the striker joined Athletico Madrid for $40 million from FC Porto the striker was already a good striker before joining the Madrid club although Athletico Madrid are known for buying young players and making them world Class players and then selling them off but on this transfer they skipped the first step.

The club sold the striker after he spent only six months with the club for an $8 million profit when they sold him to Chinese side Guanghoiu Evergrande for $48 million.

1. Alex Teixeira

Undoubtedly the most talked about transfer in the Chinese Super League. Jiangsu Suining won the battle for Alex Texeira’s signature after beating Chelsea and Liverpool to his signature when they won the bid of $57 million setting the new Asian transfer record which was broken three times in the week.

Alex joined off Brazilian compatriots Ramires and Jo at the club in the Chinese Super League. Despite not making his dream move to one of the biggest clubs in European football, the Brazilian is still earning big in the Chinese SL.