How China is luring top Brazilian footballers (clue: large sacks of cash)

Dario Conca’s decision to join Guangzhou Evergrande in 2011 attracted little fanfare in a football world whose axis has always been heavily tilted towards Europe.

Almost five years later, the Argentine playmaker’s 10 million US-dollar move from Brazil’s Fluminense can be seen as a defining moment in the rapid emergence of the Chinese Super League.

Conca’s salary of US$12 million a year is said to have made him football’s third highest paid player after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

While it may not have grabbed major international headlines at the time, the transfer made South American football – and particularly Brazil – stand up and take notice.

A steady stream of Brazilians have followed in Conca’s footsteps, with the number multiplying in recent months.

Among current and former Brazil internationals lured by Chinese clubs in the past year are Diego Tardelli (Shandong Luneng), Robinho, Paulinho and Ricardo Goulart (all Guangzhou Evergrande), Jadson and Luis Fabiano (both Tianjin Songjiang) and Renato Augusto (Beijing Guoan).