The Evergrande Football School in Qingyuan, Guangdong, is thought to be the biggest of its kind in the world. Built in just 10 months, it cost $185 million.
The Evergrande Football School in Qingyuan, Guangdong, is thought to be the biggest of its kind in the world. Built in just 10 months, it cost $185 million.
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The 167-acre site has 50 pitches and is home to 2,600 boys and 200 girls who, it is hoped, will star for China in the future.
The 167-acre site has 50 pitches and is home to 2,600 boys and 200 girls who, it is hoped, will star for China in the future.
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Parents are paying up to 60,000 yuan ($9,200) a year to send their children here -- slightly more than the average annual wage in China.
Parents are paying up to 60,000 yuan ($9,200) a year to send their children here -- slightly more than the average annual wage in China.
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A link-up with Real Madrid means that more than 20 Spanish coaches work at the school. Real visited in 2011, when star player Cristiano Ronaldo met pupils in Qingyuan.
A link-up with Real Madrid means that more than 20 Spanish coaches work at the school. Real visited in 2011, when star player Cristiano Ronaldo met pupils in Qingyuan.
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"I hope to make it into the national football team and then make it into the Spanish clubs like Barcelona and Real Madrid," 14-year-old pupil He Xinjie told CNN.
"I hope to make it into the national football team and then make it into the Spanish clubs like Barcelona and Real Madrid," 14-year-old pupil He Xinjie told CNN.
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Sergio Zarco Diaz, who has been coaching in China for four years, runs his sessions at the school alongside a translator. "What we notice is the children are at a high technical level, but the greatest difference is tactically," the Spaniard explains.
Sergio Zarco Diaz, who has been coaching in China for four years, runs his sessions at the school alongside a translator. "What we notice is the children are at a high technical level, but the greatest difference is tactically," the Spaniard explains.
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A young player eats in the school's canteen. Special chefs have been flown in from the northwestern Xinjiang province to cater for the dietary requirements of the region's Muslim players.
A young player eats in the school's canteen. Special chefs have been flown in from the northwestern Xinjiang province to cater for the dietary requirements of the region's Muslim players.
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The main football center sits at the heart of the development, like a castle from a Disney film.
The main football center sits at the heart of the development, like a castle from a Disney film.
Kevin Frayer/Getty Images/file
The 50 soccer pitches sit alongside basketball, tennis and volleyball courts, a swimming pool and movie theater. The manicured gardens feature more than $30 million worth of trees, in stark contrast to the barren vegetable patches, wooden shacks and potholed roads a few hundred yards away.
The 50 soccer pitches sit alongside basketball, tennis and volleyball courts, a swimming pool and movie theater. The manicured gardens feature more than $30 million worth of trees, in stark contrast to the barren vegetable patches, wooden shacks and potholed roads a few hundred yards away.
Jonathan Stayton/CNN
Outside the football center's gates is a 40-foot replica of the FIFA World Cup trophy -- a daily reminder of the ultimate goal.
Outside the football center's gates is a 40-foot replica of the FIFA World Cup trophy -- a daily reminder of the ultimate goal.