Super League's New Atmosphere: New Foreign Players Shine, "Chengdu Mbappé" Stands Out

Written by Han Bing Last weekend, the first round of the new Super League season concluded, with foreign players stealing the spotlight. Shanghai Shenhua's expensive acquisitions, Ladong and Gay, and Chengdu's free signing "Mbappé" Silva each scored twice, securing three points for their teams. Meanwhile, the familiar face Achimpon of Yingbo contributed with a goal and an assist. Additionally, four new foreign players scored in their debut Super League matches.

In the first round's eight matches, 28 goals were scored, with 17 foreign players contributing 20 goals, accounting for 71.4%, and 21 foreign players involved in 23 goals, accounting for 82.1%. Compared to the first round last year, the contribution of foreign players has significantly increased—last year's first round saw 20 goals in eight matches, with 11 foreign players scoring 14 goals (70%), and 18 foreign players involved in 16 goals (80%).

This winter window's eight newly signed foreign players scored 11 goals (last year's new foreign players scored 3 goals collectively), and nine new foreign players collectively contributed to 12 goals (last year's seven new foreign players contributed to 8 goals), showing a clear improvement. Additionally, new defensive foreign players like Alvaro have performed commendably.

Among the 46 new foreign players in the Super League, 43 started in the first round, with only Kayo (Yukun) and Cadiz (Sanzhen) sitting on the bench. Shanghai Shenhua's two expensive new foreign players performed excellently; the 1.95-meter-tall Gay scored two goals and provided one assist, while Ladong, with a transfer fee of 2 million euros, also scored twice. These two new players integrated seamlessly; Gay, tall and robust, served as an offensive pivot, and Ladong demonstrated excellent goal-scoring ability.

Gay took five shots with three on target, scoring two goals and assisting Ladong's second goal. He attempted four dribbles with two successes and had a passing accuracy of 87.5%. Ladong mainly operated on the left outside the penalty area but also positioned well inside the box. In this match, he took seven shots with five on target, scoring two goals, and made three key passes. With 33 passes and 30 successes, his passing accuracy reached 91%, making him arguably Shenhua's best player in the first match. These two new players accounted for 60% of Shenhua's total shots and scored four of the team's five goals. For Shenhua, urgently needing to bridge the "starting line gap," their performance is encouraging.

Chengdu's free signing Silva offered even higher value. In the 18th minute, he was elbowed by Jiang Zhipeng, resulting in a split lip and loose teeth, requiring 15 stitches post-match. Just two minutes after the opponent had a player sent off, he equalized, signaling Chengdu's counterattack. As a right winger, he showed high efficiency near the goal, with four shots and two on target both resulting in goals. He made 54 passes with 48 successes, achieving a passing accuracy of 89%, single-handedly revitalizing Chengdu's right-wing attacks. Chengdu had a strong start but declined last season, with room for improvement in goal efficiency; Silva's first-round performance reassured the team.

The familiar face Achimpon joined Yingbo and, in the first match, reciprocated with his new partner Malailai, assisting each other and both completing a goal and an assist.

On the defensive end, Taishan's free signing center-back Alvaro performed excellently, making six clearances throughout the match and blocking An Yien's one-on-one attempt in the second half; Beijing Guoan's new center-back Ramos and Zhejiang Team's new midfielder Park Jin-seop also delivered notable performances in their Super League debuts.

In the first round, nine of the 16 Super League teams started with five foreign players, five with four, while New Pengcheng and Sanzhen started with only three. Only the matches between Taishan vs. Iron Man (3-0) and Jinmen Tiger vs. Tongliang Dragon (0-0) featured five foreign players on each side. However, match content and results do not always correlate with the number of starting foreign players.

Shenhua, starting with four foreign players, scored the most goals and defeated Yingbo, which started with five. Similarly, Yukun, starting with four foreign players, completely defeated Hainiu, which started with five, with a 3-1 score.

Many new foreign players made impressive debuts, with quality remaining the primary factor determining outcomes. Taishan retained four foreign players from last season and only added center-back Alvaro in the winter window. The front trio Cresan, Zeca, and Kazayishvili were in excellent form and coordinated well; had Kazayishvili's shot not been blocked by the crossbar, all three could have scored.

Similar to Taishan, Chengdu retained Felipe and Romulo, with Romulo still prominent in the front line. Silva's integration completed the final piece of the attacking puzzle. Yukun only newly signed center forward Kleber, who broke the deadlock early in his debut, laying the foundation for a 3-1 victory over Hainiu.

Henan Team upset the defending champion, delivering the most exciting attack in the first round, but the standout performers were the retained key player Nasario and Madana, who had previously scored with headers last season. The new foreign player Gustavo served well as a pivot, but Mubula's performance still left Henan fans missing Achimpon.

In Zhejiang Team's debut, the most active was Mitriche, who joined last summer window, achieving a goal and an assist in the first half. Leveraging his strong assisting ability, new center forward Guarrapa smoothly completed his first Super League goal.

Of course, some new foreign players also had underwhelming debuts. The winter window's highest-valued player, Refinio (4.5 million euros), had three shots with only one on target in his debut, unluckily hitting the frame once; players valued over 2 million euros like Dimata (Tongliang Dragon), Adriano (Yingbo), Vagić (Liaoning), and Toric (Zhejiang Team) did not meet expectations. New Pengcheng's center-back Benković made six clearances and four interceptions but led a defense that conceded five goals. Returning to the Super League, Stanciu (Yingbo) performed averagely, while Memišević (West Coast) did not deliver a satisfactory performance.

For teams like Hainiu, Jinmen Tiger, Iron Man, and Tongliang Dragon, which utilized five foreign players in their starting lineups, the first round already preliminarily revealed gaps in foreign player form compared to opponents. They must adjust quickly, otherwise, their teams will face difficulties.