Do Not Come To China Just For Money – Cannavaro

Fabio Cannavaro has warned that foreign
stars who move to China in the belief that
it will be an easy payday are doomed to
fail.


The Italian World Cup winner and coach of
Chinese Super League (CSL) side Tianjin
Quanjian signed prolific striker Anthony
Modeste on loan last month from Cologne
with a view to a permanent 29-million-
euro ($34m) move.



The Frenchman joins a growing list of
expensive signings moving to China on
big contracts, with Carlos Tevez at
Shanghai Shenhua reportedly on among
the highest wages in world football.



Tevez has flopped spectacularly however
and looks sure to leave China at the end of
the season in November.



Cannavaro, who at Tianjin has overseen
the rejuvenation of Brazilian forward
Alexandre Pato and also manages Belgian
international Axel Witsel, said: “It depends
on the character.



“If the players come here with motivation,
they can really enjoy it. But if the players
come here just to get money, they won’t
enjoy it.”


Speaking ahead of Sunday’s CSL clash at
second-placed Shanghai SIPG, Cannavaro
said:



“Football in China is not easy. You
play in stadiums like this where if you are
not fit, if you don’t concentrate 100
percent, you cannot play.”



Cannavaro, a former defender who lifted
the World Cup as captain of Italy in 2006,
denied that Modeste had swapped top-
level European football in Germany for
China only for a cash windfall.



“If you change countries, if you come to
Asia to play, of course the money is
important because it is not just about
glory,” said Cannavaro, who has led Tianjin
to third in the CSL table.



“But I said to Tony (Modeste) about our
project: we are a young club but we want
to improve a lot in the next two to three
years and our objective is to win the Asian
Champions League.”