Naturalized players not panacea for what ails Chinese soccer

Thanks to his two goals in three rounds since the 2024 season of the Chinese top flight soccer league, an African striker has become the focal point of discussion and emerged as the fresh target of naturalization.

Oscar Maritu from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) salvaged a point for his Cangzhou Mighty Lions Football Club in the third round of the Chinese Super League on Sunday as he slotted home in the dying minutes to help Cangzhou draw 2-2 with Shenzhen.

The 24-year-old striker had explicitly expressed to the club his willingness to undergo naturalization and play for the Chinese national soccer team, according to the Beijing Youth Daily. Oscar has never represented the DRC in any international A-level matches, and he has been plying his trade in China since 2018.

Since 2020, he has amassed 95 appearances in the Chinese Super League, contributing 23 goals and 14 assists. His speed, breakaway and physical advantages have made him a lethal weapon in attack.

Given another naturalized striker Ai Kesen is currently at the end of his tether due to his slump in form, Oscar could prove to be a quick remedy to China’s offensive line. However, the national team is in dire need of a cadre of homegrown talents if they aim to grow to be a serious contender in Asia and qualify for the World Cup in the years ahead.

The national team’s lackluster performances in recent decades and failures to qualify for the World Cup since 2002 have offered a self-evident lesson that the misguided focus on instant success, at the expense of fostering sustainable youth development, has led Chinese soccer down a perilous spiral with no promising outcomes.

From the Asian Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, which began in November, and the Asian Cup in February, it has become a common path for Asia’s low-ranking teams to improve their overall strength in the short term by relying on naturalized players.

After defeating Vietnam twice in the recent Asian qualifiers for the World Cup, Indonesia has been on the course to advance to the last 18 thanks to the performances of their 10 naturalized players.

Since Branko Ivankovic took the helm of the Chinese national team, naturalized players have been valued again and Brazilian-born forward Fei Nanduo played significant roles in China’s 4-1 win over Singapore during the Asian qualifiers on March 26.

But both Fei and Ai are over the age of 30 and will surely fade out of the national team in future international competitions. Despite Oscar’s strong desire to be naturalized, the Chinese Football Association has to undergo lengthy approval procedures, and it is still difficult to determine whether he will ultimately be naturalized.

Even if Oscar’s naturalization will be initiated soon, it will still take quite some time to implement. It won’t be possible for him to represent China until the next stage of the qualifiers or even further. The question is whether China can go that far on the bumpy road to the 2026 World Cup.

Naturalized players could be China’s quick remedy for the short term but they are not a silver bullet to tackle the chronic ailment of Chinese soccer. The blind pursuit of short-term victories has closed the door for soccer development at the grassroots level.

All soccer powerhouses have their top-tier professional league systems built on the strong foundation laid by semi-professional and grassroots events within local communities.

What if the phenomenal Village Super League or Cuichao now taking place in Southwest China’s Guizhou Province were to extend its reach to 20 provinces across China? The reservoir of soccer talent won’t truly expand unless grassroots soccer flourishes nationwide.