2) Shanghai SIPG
Shanghai SIPG was founded in 2006 in the third division of the Chinese footballing pyramid. The club made a late entry into the CSL in 2013 after having won the Chinese second tier.
The club changed its name from Shanghai Dongya when after signing a 40-million Yuan sponsorship deal with Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG). Later in 2014, SIPG officially took over the whole club.
The club created quite a flutter when it managed to appoint ex-England manager Sven Goran Eriksson as the helm in November 2014. The Swede has shown that he is not afraid to spend big in order to achieve instant results. SIPG ruffled a few feathers in the transfer market when it parted with $50m for Ghanaian Asamoah Gyan and Brazilian striker Elkeson.
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Its other international superstar is Dario Conca (Argentina) who won the Chinese Football Association Footballer of the Year award alongside the Chinese FA Cup Most Valuable Player award with Guangzhou Evergrande in 2013.
Shanghai SIPG finished runners-up in the Chinese Super League in 2015 and in the process, qualified for the 2016 AFC Champions League. The cross-town rivalry is very strong with SIPG contesting two Shanghai derbies against Shanghai Shenhua and Shanghai Shenxin F.C.
Their home stadium is the Shanghai Stadium which has a seating capacity of 56,842. The club currently sits in the 3rd position in the 2016 Chinese Super League.
