How China’s football boom went from world’s best-paid players to abandoned stadiums – and what it means for Saudi Arabia

FULL TIME How China's football boom went from world's best-paid players to abandoned stadiums - and what it means for Saudi Arabia FROM a rising powerhouse to a crash-and-burn failure, China’s football boom imploded just as violently as it burst onto the scene. Harsh Covid restrictions, a struggling economy and hasty planning turned the home of Carlos Tevez, Hulk, and Oscar into a cemetery of abandoned stadiums and collapsed clubs. 9 President Xi Jinping had ambitious plans to make China a football powerhouse Credit: AFP 9 Sergio Aguero (centre) takes a selfie with President Xi Jinping (left) and Britain’s PM…