Decision of a former England youth international to play for China could be the start of a trend that sees the country make its mark at the next World Cup

If or when China finally sit on top of the world game, they may well look back at a low-key friendly against the Philippines in Guangzhou on 7 June this year as the turning point. It wasn’t the 2-0 win, or even the return of Marcello Lippi as head coach, that was most notable but rather the presence of a former England youth international wearing red.

Mumbling his way through the anthem was a player who, until January, was playing for Brentford in the Championship. Only now he is no longer Nico Yennaris, the former Arsenal and England youth player, but Li Ke, the vanguard of a new direction in Chinese football as the first ever naturalised player to appear for the national team.

He played 55 minutes before being substituted to a standing ovation from over 40,000 fans. “I learnt [the national anthem] when I first came so it’s step by step,” Li Ke said. “I’ll continue my studies and hopefully in a few months I’ll be able to do an interview in Chinese maybe.”

The English manager in charge of Taiwan's football team Read more

Having had a head start after being born in London to a Chinese mother, Li Ke was signed by leading league team Beijing Guoan in January and was offered, and accepted, Chinese citizenship (dual nationality is not an option). He was joined in the capital by Norwegian-born Jon Hou Sæter. This was significant for the club as these could be registered as local players in a league where just three foreigners can play.

It was more significant for the country. Back in 2016, sports authorities in Beijing came up with an official plan that would see the country become a continental power by 2030 and a global one by the mid-point of the century. It was assumed this would be done solely by getting Chinese children to do something they had rarely done before – play football from an early age. Turns out there are shortcuts.

Lippi is all too happy to take them. The Italian left China in January after 27 months in charge but returned in May (the two games in between saw embarrassing home defeats against Uzbekistan and Thailand and Fabio Cannavaro quickly stepped down). According to the word on the hutongs, the Italian had a few conditions before agreeing to come back and one was being able to look beyond China for players.

There were few concerns expressed in the media, social or otherwise, about handing Li Ke, a midfielder of Chinese heritage, a cap. There’s more to come, however, and not just in the shape of numerous young players around the world with ties to China that are being monitored like never before.

“Of course, we hope to have more good players, we need good forwards,” said Lippi after watching Li Ke in action for the national team for the first time. “Wu Lei and Gao Lin are very important forwards, but if other heavyweight strikers can join, then of course that’s better.”

Sign up to The Recap, our weekly email of editors’ picks.

Brazilians Elkeson and Ricardo Goulart have been two of the best and most popular imports to play in the Chinese Super League since the big spending started in 2011. Both have been called up by their national team in the past but never made it onto the pitch, and with five years spent in China they meet Fifa’s regulations for Chinese citizenship. The wheels are turning and they could be lining up for the national team when qualification for the 2022 World Cup starts in September.

The pair would change the Chinese team in more ways than one. With such talent going forward – alongside Wu Lei, who has settled into life in Spain with Espanyol much faster than expected – then China would undeniably have the best forward line in Asia. With Lippi also in charge, it would be something of a surprise if Team Dragon did not make it to Qatar.

In this case reaction has been different, with social media full of concerns about how adding Brazilians to the national team will affect its character. China is nothing if not a proud nation, but this also means that there are many in the world’s most populous country who are sick of chronic failure at the world’s most popular game.

The debate will continue and wins against stronger opposition than the Philippines will likely lighten misgivings.