THE BRAZILIAN VARDY

There are few people in China who rank among the gods. Mao Tsetung. Confucius. And Elkeson, nicknamed Ai shen, or ‘Elkeson the god’.

A Brazilian forward who has been top scorer in the Chinese Super League for two of the previous three seasons, Elkeson has established himself as a household name in the world’s most populous country since his arrival in 2013.

Elkeson’s 72 appearances in the league have brought no fewer than 59 goals. “If anyone in China doesn’t know his name, they’re not a football fan,” one supporter explains.

“When I came to China, a lot of people didn’t know me,” Elkeson tells FFT. “Today, my name is said a lot in China and I take great pride in that. It’s really cool to see how passionate Chinese fans are. They’re really passionate!”

There’s a laugh as he finishes that last sentence. Elkeson has been snapped up by Sven-goran Eriksson’s Shanghai SIPG, but things often got chaotic for him when he ventured outdoors in Guangzhou.

“If we wanted to go shopping, we had to go in the less busy hours when there weren’t a lot of people,” the 26-year-old says. “People wanted to take a photo and they started talking really loudly – it’s kind of embarrassing.

“But it’s cool to be recognised by fans. Chinese affection is very warm – they aren’t happy with just taking photos. They want to hug you. They’re nervous: the majority of the time when a Chinese fan wants to take a photo with you, they can’t get the camera to work because they’re so excited, they’re shaking.”

Elkeson’s fame increased in November when he scored Guangzhou Evergrande’s winning goal in the AFC Champions League final against Dubai’s Al Ahli. It’s all a far cry from his time in Brazil with Vitoria and Botafogo, where he was fairly successful but no superstar.

“I am so happy I left Brazil to make a career outside of my home country,” says Elkeson, whose form has even led some Chinese supporters to clamour for him to be included in the Brazilian national squad. “I’m so happy when I see fans asking for that,” he grins.

“But my aim is just to stay in China and make history by scoring a lot of goals and winning a lot of titles.”