Chinese clubs spent a total of £320million on some of the world biggest names in football but these high-profile players could not attract the big crowd in the opening fixture of the Chinese Super League on Friday, March 3.
Guizhou Zhicheng hosted Lianoning Whowin in the first game of the 2017 season but the 52,888-seater Guiyang Olympic Sports Centre where the game was played was empty.
The CSL in recent years have splashed huge money in the signing some of the best talents in world football.
In the last transfer window, the likes of Oscar and Carlos Tevez signed for Chinese sides.
Three Nigeria internationals, John Mikel Obi, Odion Ighalo and Brown ideye were also signed by Chinese clubs in the January transfer window.
Mikel and Ideye kick off their Chinese Super League campaign on Saturday, March 4 as Tianjin Teda travel to face Shandong Luneng.
Ideye will likely miss the game as his transfer from Olympiacos has not been complete.
Ighalo’s Changchun Yatai will also travel to face Shanghai East Asia in the matchday one of the Chinese Super League.
