5) Hebei China Fortune
The newest kid on the block. The club started its journey in May 2010 in the third tier of the Chinese football - China League Two. The club was bought by Chinese property developers China Fortune Land Development Co. Ltd. in January 2015.
Originally called Hebei Zhongji F.C., the club gained promotion to the top tier of the Chinese league from China League One in 2015 by coming 2nd behind Yanbian Funde. The club renamed itself to Hebei China Fortune FC in December 2015.
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They wasted no time in making a splash in the transfer market in their bid to establish themselves as one of the best clubs in China. Ivorian striker Gervinho was bought from AS Roma for €18m.
In the same winter transfer window of 2016, Argentine Ezequiel Lavezzi decided to swap the glitz and glamour of Paris for the riches of China for a fee of €9m and a rumored salary of over £400,000 a week. And he will also have two Premier League stars to give him company at the club in Gaël Kakuta and Stéphane Mbia.
And indeed they are shaking up the status quo – although the season is only 4 games old, the club is currently placed 4th in the 2016 edition of the CSL. The team is currently coached by Li Tie and is based at Olympic Sports Center Stadium in the city of Qinhuangdao and has a seating capacity of 33,000.
