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Europe, without a doubt, remains the mecca for professional and aspiring pro footballers to realize their dream. It doesn't matter which country the players originate from, their goal is to always play 'big time' football in the EU. However, with time, the tide has slowly been shifting and the 'hot' market has become Asia. Asian countries and their futuristic cities have been able to attract some of the top talent for a move across the pacific, and for them to sign long term contracts. One important factor that agents and players need to realize- is that the EU football market is largely saturated. What does this mean? It basically means that the market over there has become so cut 'throat,' and top talent often finds itself unused. So many gifted footballers are falling through the 'cracks' simply because clubs can afford to be picky. In simple economic terms, there is an over supply of talent that overwhelms the limited demand. More players are becoming aware and making moves and heading for the Asia-Pacific region.
Over the years, there has been an evident paradigm shift with players moving to play in regions like Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Mainland China and Thailand. What is also amazing about playing in these regions-is the lifestyle that comes with plying one's trade in one of these Asian countries. Players/coaches get the opportunity to experience unique Asian culture which is the total opposite to what western culture is. That is the beauty of it though, the part about living a completely different life to the one a person grew up living. Over the years, It's been amazing to witness high profile players such as Didier Drogba- who signed to play in the Chinese Super League, a few seasons back. Drogba had signed a contract where he would get $300,000 a week! That is 'insane' coin! Fernando Tores played in China too before making the move to Japan. However, he is retired now.
Hulk, David Villa and Andres Iniesta have all been playing in Japan for a few seasons. Thanks to the Rakuten corporation, they were able to offer Iniesta the largest playing contract to play for Vissel Kobe in Japan. The contract is reportedly $30million per season! To quote the rapper 50Cent,The Spanish legend is undoubtedly "smiling all the way to the bank with this". With the type of career Andres Iniesta has had, it's no surprise that he is getting this amount of money. He's earned it. They love him here in Japan and rightly so, because regardless of his age, he is still playing football at an elite level. He is just as fit as all these youngsters and puts the work in for his epic game day performances. He is also loving his life here in Japan and hasn't hinted anything about retirement yet. He has his wife and kids here, plus, Kobe is a beautiful coastal city and offers a relaxed life style. It's very conducive for raising young children.
Leagues in Hong Kong and Singapore are also gaining major popularity among top players coming from places like Brazil, Europe and Africa. They aren't offering millions just yet, but they are signing top players who earn around $30,000 a month. That's not bad at all! The standard of football in HK and SG is ranked highly by FIFA so one should never under estimate their level. Another amazing factor about these two futuristic cities is their healthy economies. These places are considered to have tiger economies which means that players/coaches have the potential to make a lot of money, on and off the field. Sports biz wise, Asia is the region where sports and business collide to form one heck of a lucrative product.
- Khangelani Zila Mbekela
Sports Agent
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