SHANGHAI SHENHUA
Shanghai Greenland Shenhua FC are based in Kangqiao, Shanghai and play their home games in the Hongkou Football Stadium. Shanghai are owned by Chinese Developed Greenland Group. The club’s is the successor to Shanghai FC who played predominantly in the top tier and won several league titles and cups. The club was reorganized in 1993 so they could become completely professional and compete in the 1994 Chinese Jia-A League. They have since lifted the 1995 Chinese League and the 1998 Chinese FA Cup. According to Forbes, Shanghai Shenhua is the 6th most valuable team in China with an estimated value of $106m. They had an estimated $29m revenue in 2015.
MANAGER:
Gus Poyet is the current manager Shanghai Shenhua. He was appointed in the pre-season to replace Spaniard Gregorio Manzano. Former Argentina boss Sergio Batista was also in charge of the club for a short duration. Former Chelsea player Nicolas Anelka had a short spell as player-manager back in April 2012.
INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS
Shanghai Shenhua was the home to elite players like Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba back in 2012. Currently Carlos Tevez, Obafemi Martins, Giovanni Moreno, Fredy Guarin and Kin Kee-hee. Among the current player, Carlos Tevez is the most high-profile having played for clubs like West Ham United, Manchester United, Manchester City, Juventus and Boca Juniors. He has over 75 caps for Argentina. He is reportedly earning 41m annually making him the world’s highest paid player.
Giovaani Moreno has been with Shanghai since 2012 having played with the likes of Drogba and Anelka. He has scored 37 league goals for the team. He previously placed for Atletico Nacional.
Fredy Guarin joined Shanghai in 2016 and has made 26 league appearances for the team. He has previously played played for the likes of St. Etienne, Inter Milan, Porto and Boca Juniors. He has made over 50 appearances for Colombia and represented his country in the 2014 World Cup and the 2011 Copa America.
Obafemi Martins played for the likes of Inter Milan, Newcastle, Wolfsburg and Levante before joining Shanghai in 2016.
Kim Kee-Hee joined Shanghai Shenhua for a reported $6m. It was described as the biggest deal in Korean football history. He is now a regular for Shanghai.
RECORD SCORER
Giovanni Moreno is Shanghai Shenhua’s top goal scorer with 43 goals. Demba Ba is second on the list with 29.
RIVALRIES
Shanghai Shenhua play the China Derby with Beijing Guoan. The rivalry is a manifestation of the competition between Shanghai and Beijing towards which is the most important to the country. The Shanghai derby with Shanghai Zhongyuan is the first-ever Chinese top flight city derby. After Zhongyuan’s relocation, Shanghai played the local Shanghai derby with the newly promoted Shanghai United in 2006. The two clubs later merged together. The promotion of Shanghai SIPG caught the attention of fans. SIPG was owned by Xu Zenbao who previously managed Shenhua. The club’s geographical location has also opened them up to rivalries with neighbouring club’s Hangzhou Greentown and Jiangsu Suning where they contest in a fixture called the Yangtze Delta Derby.
HONOURS
Chinese Super League/Chinese Jia-A League x3 (1961, 1962, 1995)
Chinese FA Cup x3 (1956, 1991, 1998)
Chinsese FA Super Cup x3 (1995, 1998, 2001)