With the national team matches coming to an end, the Super League is about to be rekindled with a marquee match between Beijing Guoan and Shanghai Seaport. Now, with a win over Guoan, Shanghai Seaport, which is eight points ahead of Shandong Taishan, can lock up the Super League title ahead of schedule. Beijing Guoan, 3 points behind Shanghai Shenhua, still has a chance to qualify for the AFC Champions League. Guoan will never want to be the sidekick of Seaport's championship. Looking back at history, Guoan had successfully prevented Liao Football, led by Zhang Yuning, Li Jin Yu, Li Tie and Qu Shengqing, from winning the title. Even with the suspension of midfielder Zhang Xizhe, the return of star goalkeeper Han Jiaqi, who returned from the National Olympic Games, as well as the return from injury of Zhang Yuning, the local golden boot of last season's Chinese Super League, have injected Beijing Guoan with a strong dose of confidence.
Shanghai Seaport and Guoan are both traditional giants in the Chinese Super League (CSL), having won the CSL title respectively. Although the era of golden dollar soccer has come to an end, Shanghai Seaport still enjoys a rich life with the backing of the big tree of Seaport Group. It is reported that the harbor ace foreign aid Oscar's monthly salary is more than 10 million yuan. In contrast, Beijing Guoan did not have a good time after the end of the golden dollar soccer.In 2017, Zhonghe Group took over the operation of Beijing Guoan from CITIC Group. Zhonghe Group, which has a real estate background, invested in Guoan and brought in top players such as Augusto and Bieira.
Although Sino Group has failed to provide Beijing Guoan with sufficient financial support, the club has attracted commercial sponsorships from a number of well-known companies thanks to its reputation as a capital city team and a Chinese Super League powerhouse. This year, China's leading e-commerce giant JD.COM Group became the sponsor of the Guoan club's chest jersey. Many Guoan fans are looking forward to the club's successful completion of the stock reform at the end of the season. There are even reports that JD.COM Group may acquire Guoan from Zhonghe Group and become the new owner next season. If Guoan receives financial support from JD.COM
If JD.COM becomes Guoan's new employer, Guoan is likely to see a change. The club's top management may face massive personnel changes, and current general manager Li Ming may also be leaving. The Chinese soccer star has helped Guoan bring in a number of big-name players since he became the club's general manager, but the club has always struggled to compete with the two Chinese Super League giants, Guangzhou Evergrande and Shanghai Seaport. Last season, two strikers introduced by Guoan, Albenro and Daburo, were returned early, and this season, Li Ming led the addition of Ademi and Deso.
I personally believe that if Guoan continues to have Li Ming leading the signings, it will be difficult to improve the team's combat effectiveness. I believe many Guoan fans, like me, are looking forward to Li Ming's early departure and a new GM to lead Guoan back to the top. Only then will Guoan's talent truly blossom.
