In order to help the national soccer team to participate in the World Cup, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) debuted its naturalization policy in 2019, and many foreign players accepted the invitation to become Chinese and wear the Chinese national team's jersey. However, in 2021, Guangzhou, the main implementer of the naturalization policy, was in trouble. As the parent company stopped injecting money, Guangzhou began to fall behind on their wages in a big way, and the naturalized players chose to terminate their contracts and leave China to return to Brazilian soccer.
After a year of "studying abroad", a naturalized international player chose to return to China not long ago: striker Ekerson, nicknamed "Bear". Ackerson landed in the Chinese Super League back in 2013, when he went by the name of Elkeson. In his first season in the CSL, he scored 31 goals, and continued to perform well over the next few seasons, so he was the first in a wave of naturalized players after the CFA's naturalization policy was introduced, and Elkeson became Ekerson, the first unrelated naturalized international player in Chinese soccer history!
Since donning the China jersey in 2019, Ickxon has played 13 games for China, scoring four goals on 13 occasions in what can only be described as a good performance. The overall underperforming Chinese team also exited the race for World Cup qualification early, as China's bold attempt at soccer ended in failure.
As it turns out, many fans thought that the naturalized players, who are not related by blood, would not play for China when they returned to Brazil. I didn't expect Aixon to make the decision. In the new season, he will return to the Chinese Super League. The aim is to prove himself again and impress the national soccer head coach so that he can return to the national team and represent China in the next World Cup qualifier and the Asian Cup early next year!
Ackerson is also a benchmark for naturalized players. In stark contrast to him is another Brazilian naturalized player, Gallart. At the first sign of salary arrears, Gallart filed a termination request with the club and then kept flying out of China, seemingly not wanting to stay for even a moment. In the new season, in order not to occupy the team's foreign aid quota, Golat has already begun the procedure of restoring Brazilian nationality. Soon, the much-anticipated "strongest naturalized" will become a Brazilian player again. Guangzhou's huge investment in him has been a complete waste.
I wonder if Gallagher will be ashamed to see Ackerson's decision, also a naturalized player, how can the gap be so big?
