China has recently added Brazil-born midfielder Serginho to their squad for crucial World Cup qualifiers, shortly after he acquired Chinese citizenship. The Chinese national team, which has been struggling in recent years, is following the trend of naturalizing players from other countries in hopes of improving their performance. Another player named in the 27-man squad is Tyias Browning, a former England youth international defender born in Liverpool, now known as Jiang Guangtai.
Serginho, now recognized as Sai Erjiniao in China, obtained citizenship on March 12 and made his debut for the national team in a closed-doors friendly against Kuwait. The 30-year-old midfielder, previously known as Sergio Oliveira, has been playing in China since 2020.
China faces Saudi Arabia and Australia in upcoming matches as they strive to qualify for the 2026 World Cup in North America. Despite being at the bottom of their group with six points, they are closely following Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain on goal difference, with Australia leading by one point. Japan currently leads the group with 16 points.
Serginho began his professional career at Brazilian club Santos before moving to Japan’s Kashima Antlers in 2018. He later joined Changchun Yatai in 2020, where he scored 30 goals in 100 appearances, before transferring to Beijing Guoan in February.
The squad selected by Croatian head coach Ivankovic also includes promising young players Wang Yudong and Liu Chengyu. Notably absent from the lineup are Brazil-born players Elkeson, Alan, and Fernandinho, who were previously key figures for China.
China, ranked 90th globally, has only qualified for the World Cup once, in 2002, where they failed to secure a point or score a goal.