Highest paid football players in Chinese Super League (soccer) 2020

Earning a weekly salary of 450,000 euros in 2020, Oscar dos Santos Emboaba Júnior, better known as Oscar from Shanghai SIPG was the highest paid soccer player in the Chinese Super League. Globally, Lionel Messi ranked first with 96 million euros per year before taxes in 2020. Cristiano Ronaldo followed as second with 54 million euros, while Oscar took the tenth spot with 24 million euro.

Chinese top tier soccer league

The Chinese Super League (CSL), China’s premier professional soccer league, has contributed significantly to the booming sports industry. Since its introduction in 2004, the League has attracted millions of spectators to live matches and received over 300 million yuan in sponsorships each year from the likes of Shell, DHL, and Nike. In recent years, CSL has paid record-breaking fees for top player transfers, an act in line with the national goal - making China a global soccer powerhouse by 2030.

The soccer craze in China

In a country with 200 million soccer fans, football marketing is a thriving business in China. A 2019 survey found that the majority of Chinese soccer fans were inclined to pay for sports streaming platforms. Almost 74 percent of football enthusiasts streamed football matches at least once a week. Apart from CSL, Chinese fans closely follow the English Premier League, the UEFA Champions League, and the Spanish La Liga.