China's riddle: a billion people, still no competitive XI

China, the giant that manufactures everything except a football team

With more than a billion inhabitants, China still frightens no one on the pitch. For a country that accounts for 90% of our non-food purchases, its inability to produce eleven competitive footballers invites an economic reading: football is not a priority, or the development model has holes that are hard to hide.

The demographic paradox

Defenders of the Asian superpower point out that it dominates the Olympic medal table: while Spain looks to football, China sweeps table tennis and other sports that are barely played here. Greatness is not measured in goals alone.

The demographic argument, however, wobbles with one example: Uruguay, with fewer than 3.5 million inhabitants, has won two World Cups and holds its own against the giants. Population and footballing success do not correlate directly. Other variables matter: sporting culture, investment, and even naturalisation policies.

Propaganda or indifference?

At the other extreme, some argue that Beijing's interest in football is purely propagandistic. If it truly set its mind to it, the next World Cup would simply be played in China. The question is whether such a vanity project is worth it when the country already controls the global sports industry through sponsorships.

Perhaps the answer is simpler: China is so big that it needs to prove nothing on a football pitch. Or maybe, as some suggest, football is a whim of small countries with an inferiority complex. For now, we will keep buying their products and boasting about a World Cup they do not have. They manufacture; we, the ones who kick the ball, also manufacture their contempt.