The 2024 Chinese Super League season has drawn to a close, with the results of the close-fought battles at both ends of the table finally confirmed.
Champions
It’s been a two-horse race for much of this season, with the Chinese Super League trophy destined for Shanghai this year as Shenhua and Port battled it out at the top of the table.
A slip-up by Port two rounds ago gave Shenhua a golden opportunity to end thirty years without a title (officially), but the red side of Shanghai held firm as their blue rivals squandered their chance.
A shock 2–2 draw against relegation battlers Shenzhen New Peng City in Round 29 gifted Port a one-point lead on top once again.
It was a lead they wouldn’t give up, securing victory on the last day and, despite Shenhua also winning, lifting the trophy as back-to-back champions.
Wu Lei was the undoubted MVP of the season with 44 goal contributions (34 of them his own), easily breaking the record set by Eran Zahavi years earlier.
With Shenhua having such a strong season overall, though, it will make things interesting in 2025, especially with Port losing the talismanic Oscar, who will depart on a free as his contract expires at the end of the year.
For now, Port will revel in their success and be delighted that they were able to hold off their bitter rivals right until the end.
Relegations
The relegation battle in the Chinese Super League also went right to the final day, with a few teams all vying to avoid the drop.
At the start of the day, Nantong Zhiyun and Shenzhen were the occupiers of 16th and 15th place respectively.
While Nantong had no hope of climbing out of their predicament, having been cemented to the bottom for a large portion of the season, Shenzhen still had a chance.
They took that chance (result), which saw them leapfrog Meizhou Hakka, who had some positive form towards the end of the year that gave them hope of avoiding the drop into China League One.
They took that chance with a 2–1 victory over Nantong, which saw them leapfrog Meizhou Hakka, who had some positive form towards the end of the year that gave them hope of avoiding the drop into China League One.
As the final whistle came, Nantong and Meizhou were confirmed to be the clubs leaving the top tier of Chinese football.
As always in China, nothing is certain in football and the financial state of clubs will be a topic of discussion throughout the winter.
Should any CSL clubs cease operations, it would give a team like Meizhou hope of returning. That’s if they themselves can remain operational.
For now, though, the standings are final and the two clubs will be replaced by Yunnan Yukun and one of either Dalian Yingbo or Guangzhou FC, who are both fighting on the last day to secure promotion.
Big Transfer Rumour
The ink isn’t yet dry on the 2024 season, but rumours of significant transfers have already begun to emerge on social media.
The biggest at the time of writing involves current Changchun Yatai captain Serginho.
The 29-year-old Brazilian has completed 5 years and reached 100 appearances for the northeastern club, but there’s potential that he could be donning a different colour for the 2025 season.
With reports growing over his potential naturalisation and inclusion in the China National Team imminent, rumours have circulated that Beijing Guoan are interested in his services.
Adding a foreign player that would only count as a domestic player is something every team would value, allowing them to effectively exceed the maximum allowance of imports legally, strengthening their team even further.
Serginho is loved in Changchun, and it would be a bitter disappointment to see him leave just as he is set to become naturalised.
However, Beijing won’t be getting him for free. He would command a significant transfer fee, having at least one more year left on his contract, and with Changchun’s financial state, it could be significant enough to help reinvest in Xie Hui’s project for next season.
At this stage, they are just rumours, akin to those linking Tan Long to Beijing a few seasons ago, so until a deal is made official, there is little to say.