Do you remember Marouane Fellaini? The almost 2-meter tall Belgian midfielder is still active after playing for Standard Liege (2006-2008), Everton (2008-2013) and Manchester United (2013-2019). Today, at 34, he has expanded his track record by helping Shandong Taishan win the fourth Chinese Super League in their history, the first since 2010.
Fellaini was instrumental in securing the title by scoring the opening goal against Hebei FC in the 21st minute. The Belgian also participated in the second goal as goalkeeper Bao Yaxiong deflected his header, but Xu Xin took advantage of the rejection to sentence in the 83rd minute. The games are played in the Guangzhou bubble.
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The final 2-0 gave Shandong Taishan a boost as, three days from the end, they were 10 points ahead of Guangzhou FC. The
Fellaini’s record
It is the second title achieved by Fellaini with his current team, which he arrived in January 2019 from United, since in 2020 he won the Chinese FA Cup.
Fellaini won the Belgian league with Standard Liege in 2008 and most of his successes were achieved at Manchester United: in 2016 the Community Shield and the FA Cup, in 2017 the League Cup and, above all, the Europa League. . He was also part of the Belgian team that achieved third place at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
End to an era in China
Shandong’s title marks the end of an era dominated by clubs largely backed by China’s big property developers.
Evergrande-owned Guangzhou have won eight of the 10 titles since Shandong last prevailed. The other two were won by Shanghai Port and the now defunct Jiangsu Suning.
The decline of the greats
Jiangsu went bankrupt after winning the title last year, while Guangzhou saw many of their foreign players, such as former Barcelona Paulinho, as well as Italian coach Fabio Cannavaro, leaving this season due to financial difficulties.
The Chinese Super League championship round matches are currently being played in a biosafety bubble in Guangzhou to limit travel as a result of the pandemic.