Naturalisation has become a big topic in Chinese football in recent years, and a number of Chinese Super League players have changed allegiances so that they can represent the China National Team.
From players with Chinese ancestry to those who have simply performed to a high standard in the Chinese Super League for a number of years, some have gone on to represent the China National Team.
Every time the National Team releases their squad ahead of upcoming international fixtures, including this Autumn’s efforts to continue their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, intrigue over the naturalised players selected.
While there could be even more in the coming years, with both Cangzhou Mighty Lions’ Oscar Maritu and Changchun Yatai’s Serginho mentioned in recent months, here are seven players who have become naturalised and represented China at full international level.
All statistics are correct at the time of writing.
Fei Nanduo
First on our list is a player who has been around Chinese football for many years but has not made too many appearances at international level for the Middle Kingdom – Fernandinho, aka Fei Nanduo.
Fei Nanduo, born in Brazil, first stepped on Chinese soil back in 2015 on a loan deal to then-named Chongqing Lifan. He made 14 appearances, contributing to six goals (three of his own) in that brief spell and earned himself a permanent deal at the club.
Including his initial loan spell, Fei Nanduo featured in 102 total games for Chongqing, scoring 25 goals and providing 31 assists before departing partway through the 2019 season.
Guangzhou Evergrande signed him but immediately loaned out to Hebei China Fortune, scoring three times (adding four assists) in 10 games. He featured 18 times for Guangzhou after that, moving to Shandong in 2023 after spending a year without a club.
After making 41 appearances for Shandong, he was loaned out to Shanghai Shenhua half-way through the 2024 season. He currently has one assist in six total appearances for his current club.
In 2020, he earned Chinese citizenship with the aim of playing for the country’s national team. However, to date, he has featured just four times, scoring his first international goal back in March of this year.
– 4 caps, 1 goal
Luo Guofu
Next on our list is a striker who had a very fruitful time in China, but again did not manage to play too much at international level – Aloísio, known as Luo Guofu.
Luo Guofu headed to China back in 2014, joining Shandong Luneng, making an immediate impact in the league. Between 2014 and 2016, he netted an impressive 41 times, adding a further 12 assists, featuring in 85 matches across all competitions for the club.
He claimed Chinese FA Cup (2014) and Chinese Super Cup (2015) honours in that spell, finishing with the Golden Boot for his 22 league goals in 2015.
His success saw him move to high-spending Hebei China Fortune half-way through the 2016 season. He scored 20 goals in 37 total games for the club before surprisingly dropping down into China League One with Guangdong Southern Tigers, where he continued his goalscorer prowess – netting 23 (14 assists) in 52 appearances.
His efforts saw him move back into the Chinese Super League with Guangzhou Evergrande, but he became a bit-part player and only made 18 appearances, scoring four goals, across two seasons.
He made his debut for the China National Team in September 2021 and scored his one-and-only goal in his second appearance. In total, he featured just five times for the country and retired altogether after two years back in Brazil.
– 5 caps, 1 goal
A Lan
Next is a player who has had a resurgence in performances this season: Alan, going by the Chinese name A Lan.
A Lan, again Brazilian, had a fruitful spell with Guangzhou Evergrande between 2015 and 2018 – contributing to 85 goals (58 of his own) in 101 games in all competitions.
He suffered a season-ending injury in 2015, meaning he did not truly begin his tenure until 2016, making his production even more impressive, and he helped the club to win multiple pieces of silverware.
This including two Chinese Super League titles (2016, 2017), one Chinese FA Cup (2016) and three Chinese Super Cups (2016, 2017, 2018).
A Lan was then loaned out for two years, once to Tianjin Tianhai and then to Beijing Guoan. He combined for 49 games, 20 goals and 4 assists in that time before returning to Guangzhou in 2021 for one last campaign.
He did not replicate his earlier production but still scored three goals and added six assists in 12 appearances, ultimately deciding to return to his home country at the end of the season.
He returned to China this year, however, with Qingdao West Coast and has been in fine form in front of goal, with 11 goals and 4 assists in 22 games.
This has led him to return to the China National Team setup, where he currently has 11 caps and three goals to his name – both of which could increase as the team challenges for World Cup qualifying.
– 11 caps, 3 goals
Li Ke
The first player on this list to actually have some Chinese heritage is English-born Nico Yennaris, known as Li Ke.
Li Ke spent years playing within the Arsenal youth academy and even made a Premier League appearance for the club back in 2011-12, but he came to prominence playing for Brentford in the Championship, making 157 total appearances for the club.
He made the move to China back in 2019 and after struggling through injuries between 2021 and 2022, he has become a focal point for Beijing Guoan’s midfield.
He has made 96 appearances for The Imperial Guard, contributing to 11 goals (three goals, eight assists) and has been a frequent member of China National Team squads when he has been fit and healthy.
He has 12 caps for Team Dragon and will likely continue to feature regularly, with the centre of midfield a contentious position at international level and Li Ke showing enough quality to command a regular place in the team.
– 12 caps
Dai Weijun
Another player whose professional career began in England is Dai Wai Tsun, a Hong Kong-born player going by Dai Weijun on the Mainland.
Originally playing in different Hong Kong team academies, Dai moved to England in 2012 to join Reading’s academy before moving to Bury in 2016 – making his professional debut in League One in the 2017-18 season.
He moved around a few times in England, including a loan spell to Dutch side Utrecht, before heading back East, this time with Chinese Super League side Shenzhen.
He was a regular on the wing for Shenzhen, making 60 total appearances for the club between 2020 and 2022, with unpaid wages and the club’s poor situation seeing him holding out for a transfer elsewhere in 2023.
This finally came to fruition with a move to Shanghai Shenhua, but he has not had the same impact and has been loaned to Shenzhen Peng City (a different club after Shenzhen ultimately dissolved).
Initially playing for Hong Kong at Under-15s level, Dai opted to represent China internationally and has made 14 appearances to date. Improved performances and regular appearances with Shenzhen Peng City should help him feature in the national setup more often.
– 14 caps
Ai Kesen
A supremely recognisable name and person in Chinese football, arguably the biggest hope for naturalisation success landed on the shoulders of this man when he opted to change allegiance: Elkeson, known as Ai Kesen.
Everyone involved in Chinese football knows of Ai Kesen. He was arguably the best striker in the league for many years, playing for both Guangzhou Evergrande and Shanghai Port before joining Chengdu Rongcheng last season.
Not the same player he once was at the age of 35, Ai Kesen can still boast 186 goal contributions (132 of his own) in the Chinese Super League, making 219 appearances in the league since 2013.
That doesn’t include his appearances in the Chinese FA Cup, Super Cup or even in AFC Champions Leagues, where he was a dominant threat throughout his career.
Easily one of the most successful players in Chinese football history, Ai Kesen claimed five league titles, two AFC Champions Leagues and even a Chinese FA Cup.
He also headlined the naturalised players and has scored five goals in 19 appearances for the Chinese National Team. His lack of playing time and general decline, however, is unlikely to see him make many, if any, more appearances however.
– 19 caps, 5 goals
Jiang Guangtai
Easily the most successful of the naturalised players to date is one that many may not have expected when it all began: Tyias Browning, better known as Jiang Guangtai.
Like Li Ke, Jiang Guangtai was English-born with Chinese heritage, beginning his career in the Everton youth academy, making seven Premier League appearances for the club along with multiple appearances on loan to clubs across the English Football Pyramid.
He moved to China in 2019, joining Guangzhou Evergrande, establishing himself as a reliable defender in China and earning a move to Shanghai Port in 2022. By that point, he had already made his debut for the China National Team, where he has 28 caps to his name, including one goal.
He has made the most appearances internationally of any naturalised player and looks set to be a mainstay in the side for years to come as he continues to play to a high standard in Shanghai.
He has over 100 appearances in the Chinese Super League and has already tasted success with a Shanghai Port side that looks set to claim another league title this season.
– 28 caps, 1 goal