Real Madrid and Spanish international superstar Xabi Alonso is set to join Beijing Guoan in the summer on a three year deal worth an eye watering $60 million – can exclusively reveal.
And in a bizarre twist, the former Liverpool midfielder revealed that he was so moved by the Guoan fans’ ceaseless chanting of his name that he felt an instant affinity with the Gongti faithful.
The signing sees Beijing Guoan play catch-up with big-spending rivals Shanghai Shenhua and Guangzhou Evergrande – clubs based in China’s other two major cities.
Alonso recently took in a Beijing Guoan match during a promotional tour to China and a source close to the club told that the player said, “I was so impressed with 50,000 fans calling my name so often throughout the game, a few fans saw me sitting in the VIP box then just seconds later the whole stadium was chanting Xabi! Xabi! – I don’t how word spread so fast but I was really touched by the sincere support and I just knew that this was the club for me.”
The Spaniard revealed that he made his final decision after learning that the fans were shouting his name through the whole match during subsequent games which he was not in China to attend. “I’ve always had a fascination for China ever since I learned the cockney rhyming slang for ‘mate’ during my time playing in England. I thought about joining Shanghai, but when I visited there were so many people wandering around outside my hotel in pyjamas I thought I was in a city of sleep walkers.”
The deal is thought to include a range of commercial agreements, which will see Alonso endorse leading roast duck, baijiu and cigarette brands. A leading Chinese business analyst, Gou Shi, said the deal represented a breakthrough in sports marketing, linking local cultural icons with a global sporting one.
ROFL!
Date check… ROFL.
What has him learning cockney slang got to do with him liking China?
Anyway, GZ should have first dabs considering we are affiliated to RM !! 🙂
Cockney rhyming slang: China plate = mate
In terms of GZ Hengda having dibs on him, is there a Cantonese equivalent to the “jing ma”? “Yue ma” perhaps?
With all the money around in Chinese football at the moment I’m sure there won’t be a problem in getting a “Xabi” for every team!
“I thought about joining Shanghai, but when I visited there were so many people wandering around outside my hotel in pyjamas I thought I was in a city of sleep walkers.”
– Well done.
This is priceless…talk about lost in translation!
You mean like “A leading Chinese business analyst, Gou Shi,…”?
Good one Cameron me old China! So much cross cultural innuendo…
i still cant believe it…is it real???
things r beginning to get hot in crazy China!!!
This is epically awesome. Well done.
i would love to see Xabi promoting Beijing Roast Duck…:p LOL
Very good and funny article!
Is this still on?
just actually read the article as opposed to the headline, oops