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Ambitious Guangzhou Opens Wallet on Football Spending
July 13, 2011

The signing of Argentine Dario Conca, right, by a Guangzhou club has sent shockwaves in the Chinese domestic league. (AFP Photo) The signing of Argentine Dario Conca, right, by a Guangzhou club has sent shockwaves in the Chinese domestic league. (AFP Photo)
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Beijing. The arrival of China’s most expensive footballer, Argentine Dario Conca, is the first step toward a world championship for the club that signed him, its chairman has said.

Liu Yongzhuo told reporters the hiring was “just the beginning” for his Chinese Super League club, Guangzhou Evergrande, which paid a record $10-million transfer fee for the 28-year-old midfielder.

“We will continue to look to the overseas market if we can identify the right targets,” Liu said as he unveiled the former captain of Brazilian club Fluminense to the Chinese press on Tuesday. “Our purpose of introducing foreign players is to lift the competitiveness of our team and reach our targets, which include winning the AFC [Asian Football Confederation] Champions League within five years.

“We also want to claim the FIFA Club World Championship. If we can’t win the titles, then we will continue to buy more foreign players who can play at a high level.”

Guangzhou was relegated two years ago due to a match-fixing scandal but returned to the Super League this season, spending a reported $18 million on transfers ahead of Conca’s signing.

The club is owned by the Evergrande Real Estate Group, one of China’s top real estate companies, and whose owner Xu Jiayin is one of China’s richest tycoons.

Conca signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with the Chinese Super League leader in a deal worth about $7 million a year after taxes, making him the most expensive player ever in China, according to local media.

Voted player of the year in Brazil in 2010, he will play alongside some of China’s top players and several Brazilian imports.

“I know that I have joined a club with a big vision,” said Conca, who scored 40 goals during his three and a half years with Fluminense.

“Many outstanding Brazilian players have joined the league and have promoted its image,” he added. “ I will try to adapt to the life here as soon as possible and score more goals for the club.”

Guangzhou is unbeaten this season and leads the 16-team league with 37 points after 15 matches. Second-place Beijing Guo’an is seven points behind.

It was not immediately clear if the midfielder would start in Guangzhou’s Thursday night match against Nanchang Hengyuan, but the media, which watched him train on Tuesday, said he would likely play.

“I expect a lot from Conca. No matter which position he will play, the most crucial thing for him is to make himself a part of the team,” said the club’s South Korean coach, Lee Jang-soo.

“He also needs to prove his form before we give him the chance to start.”

Agence France-Presse