Tianjin TEDA FC
Tianjin TEDA FC are based in Tianjin and play their home games at the Tianjin Olympic Centre Stadium. They are owned by TEDA Holdings, a state-run conglomerate. The club is the successor to Tianjin FC. The latter played mostly in the top tier and won a couple of league titles. In 1993, the club was reorganised and made fully professional so as to compete in the new fully professional top tier. The club won the 2011 Chinese FA Cup and finished runner-up in the CSL in 2010. According to Forbes, Tianjin is the 8th most valuable team in China with a value of $84m. They earned an estimated $15m in revenue in 2015.
MANAGER
Tianjin are currently managed by Jaime Pacheco. His playing career took him to clubs like Porto, Braga and Sporting CP. He even made a quarter of a century of appearances for Portugal. He took over the reins at Tianjin in 2016. He previously managed Beijing Guoan in China. Pacheco has been over 10 clubs as a manager.
INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS
Former Chelsea player John Obi Mikel is the most high-profile name on Tianjin TEDA’s squad. He moved to Tianjin in January 2017 on a free. His illustrious career at Chelsea saw him win the Champions League, 2 Premier Leagues and a number of domestic cups.
Mbaye Diagne joined Tianjin in 2016. He previously had an unsuccessful stint at Juventus. He was constantly sent out on loan and failed to make a single appearance for the Italians.
Hwang Seok-Ho joined Tianjin in 2017. He previously played for Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Kashima Antlers. He has made 4 appearances for South Korea.
Nemanja Gudelj signed for Tianjin in January 2017. He played for Ajax and AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands. He has made 17 appearances for Serbia.
Brown Ideye is another former Premier League player currently plying his trade in China. He played for West Brom for a single season. He had more successful days at Dynamo Kiev and Olympiacos.
RECORD SCORER
Ecuadorian Carmelo Valencia is the highest scorer for Tianjin with 23 goals. Second on the list is Rentian Hu with 17 goals. He is the leading scorer among current players.
RIVALRIES
Tianjin TEDA plays the Jing-Jin rivalry with Beijing Guoan. Both teams can trace their roots to the North China team. Both teams play in the top tier and have fierce matches. Their fans also are bitter and some matches have seen the rivalry spill out of the stadium and onto the streets leading to the destruction of public property.
HONOURS
Chinese Jia-A League x3 (1960, 1980, 1983)
Chinese Jia-B League (1998)
Chinese FA Cup x2 (1960, 2011)