Another Paulinho: CSL Buys Another Player from the Top Five European Leagues, Serie A Midfielder Comes to China to Play Football!

19/01/2025 50hotness 0likes

Active midfield stars from Europe's top five leagues are coming to the Chinese Super League (CSL), with the Chinese Football Association set to establish a new league next week. The anti-corruption and anti-gangster campaign has also come to an end, and it now appears that the signs of recovery in the CSL are very obvious. The latest news confirms that Ciprian, the current midfielder from Serie A's Parma, has joined Changchun Yatai of the CSL, with a peak value that once reached 18 million euros, making him known as the next Paulinho in China.

During its heyday, the CSL introduced many foreign players from Europe's top five leagues, including superstars like Oscar, Mascherano, Bakambu, and Paulinho, who are still fresh in our memories. However, with the end of the golden football era, many CSL teams now import cost-effective foreign players from leagues such as Japan, South Korea, Brazil, and non-mainstream European leagues. In recent seasons, the top signings in the CSL have not been stars from the top five leagues, with only Shanghai Shenhua introducing one active foreign player from the top five leagues, Manafa.

Who would have thought that last season's CSL relegation battler, Changchun Yatai, could still buy players from the top five leagues. Ciprian previously had experience playing in both Ligue 1 and Serie A, at one point having the opportunity to join the French national team. He was even the top midfielder for Nice in Ligue 1, playing alongside Balotelli, with his number of passes, fouls, and other statistics ranking among the top 10 in Ligue 1 that year, making him a world-class star.

Now, although Changchun Yatai sold their naturalized player Serginho in the new season, they have brought in Omoijuanfu, the top scorer in the Norwegian league, and now another star from Europe's top five leagues. Under the leadership of coach Xie Hui, it seems they are really going to make a big push in the new season.

Ciprian also makes it hard not to think of Paulinho back then. Both are versatile midfielders in the center, both joining the CSL from the top five leagues, and both have fallen to the bench in the top five leagues, coming to China at a low point in their careers. Can Ciprian explode in China like Paulinho did and become the next Paulinho? (Lao Qiu)