China's ambition to 'dominate' European football.

The successive acquisition of major football clubs is a step in the plan to elevate Chinese football to superpower status by 2050.

In 2014, the Chinese government issued a decree reforming the sports industry, with the most notable point being the goal of making the world's most populous nation a football superpower by the 2050s. The steps outlined by President Xi Jinping included qualifying for the World Cup, hosting the World Cup, and winning the World Cup.

To achieve this goal, China is gradually exerting influence over the world of football thanks to the potential of the world's largest economy. On the one hand, Chinese clubs are upgrading the quality of their national leagues by spending huge sums of money to attract global stars.

Of course, unlike the way Middle Eastern teams recruit aging star players, Chinese teams spend a lot of money, even unimaginable sums, to secure the services of current football talents. Notable examples include Hulk, Ramires, Alex Teixeira, and Jackson Martinez.

On the other hand, Chinese businesses are using money to buy shares or completely take over well-known football teams in Europe. To date, the reach of these national tycoons has spread to 12 different clubs across Europe, mainly in top national leagues such as the English Premier League, La Liga, and Serie A.

Milan is no longer under Berlusconi's control.

It's worth noting that Chinese tycoons investing in football have virtually no expectation of profit. Nevertheless, they continue to invest heavily because they receive strong backing, including financial support, from the Chinese government. This government's goal is to enhance the nation's image and foreign policy.

This explains why the classic Milan derby is now overshadowed by Chinese influence. On August 5th, Sino-Europe Investment Management Changxing spent a staggering 740 million euros to acquire the giant AC Milan, ending the three-decade reign of billionaire Silvio Berlusconi.

Following AC Milan, Inter Milan has also been taken over by Chinese owners.

Just a month later, Inter Milan, AC Milan's arch-rival, also fell into Chinese hands. Specifically, the retail group Suning invested 270 million euros to buy 70% of the shares, becoming the largest shareholder with full decision-making power over the black and blue striped club.

But it's not just Milan that speaks Chinese; in Spain, a number of La Liga teams are also owned by tycoons from the world's most populous country. Some notable examples include Espanyol, Granada, and most notably, Atletico Madrid.

Wanda Group is planning to revamp the Champions League.

In January 2015, billionaire Wang Jianlin's Wanda Group acquired a 20% stake in the red and white striped team for €45 million, becoming one of the three largest shareholders. Following this, Wang Jianlin immediately demonstrated his influence by opening an Atletico football academy in his hometown and providing financial support for the construction of La Peineta, Atletico's new stadium.

But that's not all; Wang Jianlin is planning to reform the Champions League by proposing a meeting of European giants in October. Supporting this tycoon are, of course, his fellow billionaires who have acquired European football clubs and his strong relationship with FIFA. It's known that Wanda has signed a sponsorship deal with the most powerful football governing body until 2030.

Ultimately, Wang Jianlin is ambitious to organize an annual cup tournament in China, with the participation of 4 (and planning to increase to 8) European teams owned by Chinese tycoons. With this progress, in the not-too-distant future, the stars will only be taking to the field wearing jerseys covered in Chinese characters.

According to bongdaplus.vn