20 of the best foreign players to have played in the Chinese Super League

16 – Paulinho

Paulinho is one of the many Brazilians who have made a move to China

Jose Paulo Bezerra Maciel Junior had short spells playing for some lesser known clubs in Lithuania, Poland, Brazil and Italy before finally attracting the envious glances of Brazilian giants Corinthians. He spent three years with Corinthians during which he scored 20 goals in 86 games. The Brazilian won various honours at the club, including the 2011 Brasileirao, the 2012 Copa Libertadores and also the Club World Cup that same year.

In July 2013 Tottenham Hotspur signed the Brazilian midfielder for what was then a record transfer fee for them at £16.77m. However, that record was broken twice in the very same transfer window with the arrivals of Roberto Soldado and Erik Lamela. The 28-year-old made 45 appearances for the Spurs, finding the back of the net six times. After two seasons at White Hart Lane, Paulinho made a move to Guangzhou Evergrande in a deal worth £11.90m. He’s made 37 appearances for the team, hitting the target seven times.