So far, Chengdu Rongcheng has had many foreigners leave the team. Jonathan and Saldaña during the Chinese Super League were Djurdjic, Quintana and Leonardo during the Central League. Djurdjic was unsuccessful, mostly due to lack of raw signing experience; Quintana and Leonardo were both excellent and could be called value for money; Jonathan didn't perform, which was related to special reasons; Saldaña was rented out and had good potential.
So, what's their status?
The first foreigner in the team's history: Djurdjic
The first foreigner in the team's history, Djurdjic is a former Serbian international who played in the Bundesliga. Before Chengdu, he played in the Swedish Super League, scoring goals for two consecutive seasons. Based on his previous stats, he should be strong enough to play in the Central League, but his performances have not been satisfactory.
In the 2020 season, Djurdjic scored only 2 goals for Chengdu Rongcheng, and did not show the strength of the foreigner.In the 2021 season, he was rented to Zhejiang in the Central League, and seldom had the chance to play and did not score. Perhaps it was a case of not being able to adapt to the water. He had an unsuccessful experience playing in China and had almost no presence.
Now that Djurdjic has returned to play in the Swedish Superliga with mediocre performances, the 36-year-old may retire.
Team MVP during the Central League: Quintana
Quintana's resume is not as impressive as Djurdjic's, having played in third-tier European leagues for a long time, but he was the midfield commander and absolute starter in Chengdu Rongcheng's Central League days. He is not tall and has the characteristics of a Spanish player with good technique. He was the team's midfield engine and performed well.
Quintana only played for Chengdu Rongcheng for one season, but fans were impressed with him and he was named team MVP this season. after Xu Zhengyuan joined the team, maybe for tactical reasons, maybe because he didn't talk to the club, Quintana, who only signed a one-year contract, didn't stay, which made a lot of fans feel sorry.
After leaving Chengdu Hibiscus, Quintana spent six months with his old club Jagiellon in the Polish Premier League, became a free agent again and may now be retired.
The Reluctant Negro: Leonardo
Leonardo moved to Chengdu from Xinjiang Tianshan Snow Leopard in the 2020 season and had an unimpressive first season with only one goal. In the 2021 season, he had a bright spot after the arrival of Xu Zhengyuan, with double-digit goal and assist figures, and was a major contributor to Chengdu Rongcheng's Super League run, and was a fan favorite.
After the successful overtaking, Leonardo is said to have joined Chongqing Liangjiang Athletic on a waiver, having not renewed his contract with the club. However, he was a bit unlucky. As soon as he joined, he ran into a situation where his new employers disbanded and faced a situation where he was left without a ball to play. He later joined Nagoya Whale in the J-League, but had few chances and his goal scoring account is yet to be opened.
Last season, when Chengdu Rongcheng faced a weak front, many fans missed Leonardo so much that they wondered if there was any chance for him to come back.
