The WAGs and England are a Hit in China

While club teams like Chelsea and Manchester United are going to great lengths to win the battle for fans in China, the England national team is already in the hearts of many. According to new research, the England team shirt is the most popular football shirt in China and England is the favorite international team.

Why are Wayne Rooney and Co. so popular?

Sue Bridgewater, from Warwick Business School, which carried out the research, said many Chinese fans were drawn to English football because of the players’ glamorous lifestyles.

She said: “Chinese fans associate different things with different teams. The tulip with Holland, the colour blue with Italy, and the samba playing style with Brazil.

“With England it has a lot to do with celebrity, star players like Rooney, Beckham and Gerrard, and even their wives and girlfriends.”

Not sure why Holland football conjures up the image of tulips, but nevertheless the research also showed that there is a growing football market in China which means that we can expect to see more teams and more countries making their way to Asia in the future for friendlies and exhibitions. They would be well served to bring their WAGs with them.