The Portuguese assistant coach of the Chinese national football team, Rui Mota, thinks the Chinese Football Association is on course to succeed in its ambition to make China a world footballing power by 2050, A Bola reports.

The Portuguese newspaper quotes Mota as saying an enormous number of centres that train footballers to a high standard have sprung up in China since he moved there in 2016.

The coach said clubs in China offered players top-notch facilities, and were now trying to grow more sustainably after years of huge investment.

He said Chinese footballers showed a lot of quality, and could easily star in European teams of good or medium standard.

Mota has coached at Sichuan Annapurna, which is a club in the third division of the Chinese league; the Chinese national under-19 team; Baoding Rongda, a second-division club; and Beijing Guoan, a top-class side, A Bola says.