You have to give it to the Chinese, when they set their minds to something it usually doesn’t take too long before they’re close to ruling the roost.

It helps when your population is nearing 1,4 billion and you have some serious cash to throw around, which is why us football fans are keeping a close eye on what’s happening over that side of the world.

The February transfer window saw the Chinese transfer record smashed four times in a matter of weeks, some of their biggest clubs breaking the bank to secure the services of Alex Teixeira, Ramires and Jackson Martinez.

CNN have written a brilliant piece about China’s determination to succeed on the international circuit, with these below some of the more pertinent points:

China’s leader [President Xi Jinping] has made no secret of his love for the “beautiful game.” He’s also made it clear he wants to see China qualify for, host and one day win, the World Cup.

And in China, what Xi says, Xi usually getsBillions of dollars have been ploughed into the Chinese game in recent years, most notably in the form of high-profile marquee signings in its professional league…

In addition to buying players, several of China’s top clubs are pumping money into the grassroots side of the game — specifically youth football.

But it isn’t purely for the love of the game. Experts say it’s all about buying favor with Xi…

In just 10 months, and at a cost of $185 million, real estate company Evergrande turned an area of rural southern China into the biggest football school in the world.

Two dozen Spanish coaches, the result of a partnership with Real Madrid, bark out instructions [at the academy] — instantly translated into Chinese and repeated with added vehemence…

One class in five is football training, the rest of the time taken up with traditional subjects. But football is what everyone really wants to do, so even the non-football classes have a heavy slant towards the game…

The investment here is on a scale you’d only see in China. The 50 pitches are spread over more than 160 acres. They sit alongside basketball, tennis and volleyball courts, a swimming pool and movie theater, as well as a gym, library and several canteens. Special chefs have been flown in from the western Xinjiang province to cater for the dietary requirements of the region’s Muslim players.

Linking it all together are tree-lined avenues, imposing street lamps and grand European-style piazzas…

The manicured lawns and more than $30 million worth of Southeast Asian trees, we’re told, are all just a few hundred yards from barren vegetable patches, wooden shacks and potholed roads. At the heart of the campus is the centerpiece Football Center Building — a huge Hogwarts-style mansion, complete with clock towers and spires.

If any of that above has tickled your fancy you really should give the full piece a read HERE.

Don’t expect them to win a World Cup any time soon, these things take time, but if you look at China’s success at the Olympics you’d be a fool to bet against them eventually causing a few upsets.

[source:cnn]