World Cup elimination self-criticism begins, Son Heung-min or top star cannot make money in Europe, who wants to go abroad
Jun 12, 2025
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On the 12th (Korea time), the Chinese portal 'Sohu Dotcom' introduced the interview remarks of former Chinese national team captain Li Weifeng. Li Weifeng pointed out the reality of Chinese soccer in an interview after China failed to advance to the 2026 North-China World Cup finals.
Li Wei-feng said "In China, the annual salary is 3 million yuan (about 567 million won), but if you go overseas, your salary may be less than 6,000 euros (about 9.3 million won). Who will try to go abroad?," he asked back.
The remarks came while mentioning the future of 18-year-old Shin Seong Wang-dong (Zhengzi), who is considered China's next-generation ace. Wang Wang Dong is said to receive an annual salary of 3 million yuan after tax in accordance with the Chinese Super League annual salary regulations.
Li Wei-feng said in a confident voice that the reason China's young players are reluctant to go abroad is because it's so easy to make money in China.
In the Chinese league, the price of major players has skyrocketed due to excessive domestic competition. The highest salary is said to receive tens of millions of yuan in annual salary.
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The `Sohoo dotcom' said 'Other than top stars like Son Heung-min, ordinary European players generally earn less than 1 million euros (about 1.56 billion won).
In addition, a Chinese agent "It costs millions of yuan for a domestic club to nurture one player. It's a waste of money to let players go," he said in a straightforward manner.
Current Chinese national team striker Zhang Winning (Beijing Guoan) was expected to join European clubs such as Vitesse, West Bromwich and Werder Bremen last time, but returned to China in 2019 after a painful failure.
No Chinese player has appeared on the European stage since Wu Lei (former Espanyol) and Zhang Winning. Li Wei-feng said the number of overseas players will increase only when the Chinese Football Association pays the wages of overseas players through corporate sponsorships.
'Sohu Dotcom' is 'Japan cooperates with European clubs every year to send about 100 prospects. The cost is shared by the government and businesses,' he said, describing the Chinese and other Japanese soccer atmosphere.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
