Tevez: China won't be able to compete even 50 years from now
Carlos Tevez has severe doubts China will ever reach elite status in world football, stating that players from the populous country aren't as "naturally skilled" as those that hail from traditional hotbeds.
"Chinese players are not as naturally skilled like South American or European players. Like players who learned football when they were kids. They're not good," Tevez told French TV station SFR Sport, courtesy of the Guardian's Ed Aarons. "Even in 50 years, they still won't be able to compete."
One of the sport's highest-paid players - making a reported £615,000 a week - Tevez has been a spectacular failure since signing for Shanghai Shenhua late last year. The 33-year-old has scored just three goals in 13 league appearances, and appears overweight and disinterested.
Former Shenhua manager Gus Poyet tried his best to protect Tevez, admitting he struggled with the food and language.
The Uruguayan boss resigned after a string of poor results.
Tevez's comments cast aspersions on China's grand scheme to become a football power. President Xi Jinping recently put a plan in place to have 50,000 academies across the country by 2025 - an ambitious pursuit with the ultimate goal of winning the World Cup.
Chinese Super League clubs also opened their wallets to lure big names to East Asia. But spending soon spiralled out of control, leading the government to threaten teams with a 100 percent luxury tax on foreign signings.
China failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.