Opinion | CSL’s foreign imports are lighting up the league in China, so why won’t their national team managers notice?
National managers overlook the form of the Super League’s top performers, so is a move to China the death knell for a player’s international career?
The Chinese Super League returned this weekend after the international break but for many of the league’s best-known names it was a case of itchy feet, returning to work after a week’s holiday.
This may come as no surprise but playing in China doesn’t necessarily make you the first name on the national teamsheet
This may come as no surprise but playing in China doesn’t necessarily make you the first name on the national teamsheet so not all of the CSL’s big names were selected to represent their countries during the variety of World Cup qualifiers and friendlies that disrupted the domestic schedule.
These are the players who will be asking if playing in the CSL is damaging their international football career.
The good news for them is that it doesn’t have to. There are those players that appear so undroppable that they would probably be selected for their country if they were playing pub football.
Tim Cahill and Asamoah Gyan both embody their national sides, and the Hangzhou Greentown man captained Australia to their win over Jordan, while Shanghai SIPG’s Gyan would have added to his caps tally for the Black Stars were it not for injury.
WATCH: Evergrande come out on top in the Guangzhou derby
Then there are those footballers that are still part of the national setup having established themselves while thriving in European football.