You can imagine my admiration for Perry when I saw the plan. With the clinical precision of an ace penalty kicker, Perry was right. Now we have got a long-term plan, and the next step is to turn Chinese football into a global force, capable of competing on the world stage and one day lifting that elusive World Cup winning trophy.

Since then, China has become a credible topic within the world football market. Chinese super league clubs are spending vast fortunes snapping up superstar players and coaches from Europe and South America.

After his player Oscar left London for Shanghai SIPG for a fee around 60 million pounds, Chelsea manager Antonio Conto commented: "The Chinese market is a danger for all of us. Not only for Chelsea, but all the teams in the world."

In the past few months, Carlos Tevez, Oscar and Jackson Martinez have arrived, with their golden boots, in China. Diego Costa is also rumored to join in the summer. Luiz Felipe Scolari, Felix Magath, Andre Villas-boas, Manuel Pellegrini and Fabio Cannavaro, who used to grace the big five league's most famous stadiums, are all currently in charge of Chinese super league sides.

More surprisingly, AC Milan, Inter, Nice, Aston Villa, Wolverhampton Wanderers, have miraculously come under the ownership of Chinese businessmen.

West Bromwich Albion, at the beginning of the current season in the English Premier League side, was bought by Chinese entrepreneur Lai Guochuan.

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