'China's Real Madrid'Team set sights on global market Asia’s first super-club is preparing an attempt at global domination on the football front. NAMPA/AFPSix league titles in a row and two Asian trophies along the way could be just the start for China''s Guangzhou Evergrande, who have drawn comparisons with Real Madrid and Manchester United and are eyeing global recognition.
The team from the southern metropolis of Guangzhou have risen from obscurity and corruption to break new ground for Asian football, becoming China''s first AFC Champions League winners in 2013.
That victory earned them the nickname "Asia''s first super club" as Evergrande''s spending power and heavily South American squad, then marshalled by World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi, put rivals in the shade.
Another World Cup-winner, Brazil''s Luiz Felipe Scolari, joined in 2015 and duly helped them to their second Champions League trophy, plus a fifth straight league title last year before clinching the sixth on Sunday.
With the Chinese Super League firmly conquered - despite rising competition from other big-spending clubs - and their reputation well established in Asia, Evergrande can target loftier goals.
After Evergrande outlined plans to become one of the world''s top clubs, analysts say they may soon be touring Europe - turning the tables on the current situation, where European clubs visit Asia looking to extend their fan base.
"At this rate it would not be inconceivable for Chinese clubs to be touring Europe in the next decade," Jon Stainer, Nielsen Sport''s managing director for the United Kingdom and Ireland, told AFP.
Evergrande are a lesson in what can be achieved with money and determination as just three years before their first Asian title, they were demoted in disgrace from the Super League during a wide-ranging corruption crackdown.
The club was snapped up by Evergrande Real Estate Group, which had become a multi-billion dollar enterprise in China''s property boom, and immediately won promotion back to the Super League.
They have been national champions every year since.
"Six in a row is special for any club," Gary White, head coach of second-tier Shanghai Shenxin, told AFP.
"Guangzhou''s motto is ''Be the Best Forever'' and they have the resources both financially and emotionally from their stakeholders to become a global brand."
In August, Forbes valued Guangzhou at US$282 million (N$3.9 billion), a figure comparable to many top clubs in Europe - some of which are now being snapped up by Chinese investors.