Serginho, now known as Sai Erjiniao, made his unofficial debut in a closed-door friendly against Kuwait on Sunday, according to state broadcaster CCTV. The 30-year-old, whose birth name is Sergio Oliveira, has played in China since 2020 and was recently signed by Beijing Guoan after a four-year stint with Changchun Yatai.
China’s Naturalisation Strategy Continues
China’s struggling national team has followed the trend of naturalising foreign-born players in recent years, though the results have been underwhelming.
Among the notable call-ups is Liverpool-born defender Tyias Browning, now playing under his Chinese name, Jiang Guangtai. However, previous Brazil-born regulars like Elkeson, Alan, and Fernandinho were left out of the squad.
Teenage prospects Wang Yudong and Liu Chengyu have also been included by Croatian head coach Branko Ivanković, who is looking to reshape the team ahead of must-win matches.
China’s Tough Road to World Cup Qualification
China is bottom of their qualifying group on six points, but they remain in contention as they are level with Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain on points, trailing only on goal difference. Australia sits just one point ahead, while Japan leads the group with 16 points.
Upcoming fixtures:
- March 21 – Away vs. Saudi Arabia
- March 26 – Home vs. Australia
The top two teams qualify automatically, while the third and fourth-placed teams enter another round of qualification.
China, currently ranked 90th in the world, has only qualified for the FIFA World Cup once, in 2002, where they failed to score a goal or earn a point.
With the addition of Serginho and a mix of youth and experience, Ivanković hopes to guide China back to football’s biggest stage—but the road ahead remains challenging.