Success of Guangzhou Evergrande all down to Chinese stars, insists Scolari
Brazilian coach salutes the local players after his side reach AFC Champions League final
Unlike in 2013, coach Luiz Felipe Scolari insists Guangzhou Evergrande's run to this year's AFC Champions League final has been largely down to the talent of local, rather than imported talent.
Guangzhou have quickly gained a reputation as one of the biggest spenders in Asia, and have a squad and coaching staff to match, and are on the verge of landing a fifth consecutive Chinese Super League title and second continental crown after Wednesday night's goalless draw in Japan with Gamba Osaka, which secured a 2-1 aggregate success in their semi-final.
We have to be proud we have such good [local] players in our team. They help the foreign players reach targets in the Chinese Super League and AFC Champions League
But while 2013's away goals success over Korea Republic's FC Seoul in the AFC Champions League final under Italian Marcello Lippi was achieved largely with the impact of Brazilian tournament MVP and top scorer Muriqui and Argentinian playmaker Dario Conca, the success this year is down to talent from more close to home, according to Brazilian World Cup winner Scolari.
"I would like to say a special thank you to all the players, especially the Chinese players.
"We have to be proud we have such good [local] players in our team," said 66-year-old Scolari.
"They help the foreign players reach targets in the Chinese Super League and AFC Champions League.