During their time with Shenhua, Drogba and Anelka could only help the team finish ninth in the 16-team Chinese Super League.

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For the past decade, the Chinese Super League has fielded 16 teams (Bejing Guoan is the 2009 champion) throughout China, from Dalian to Shenzhen.

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"The popularity of the Chinese Super League is growing, " he said.

CNN: David Beckham becomes new face of Chinese soccer

Another Honduran (salaries are relatively high for Super League players) and an Argentine player were the top scorers, with 17 goals apiece, for the 2009 Chinese Super League season.

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The Chinese Super League games dominate CCTV-5 (Sports Channel) and Chinese TV channels also show an extensive selection of top foreign soccer matches, including the UEFA Championship League, English Premier League, Italian Serie A and German Bundesliga.

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Adidas, a long-term deal with Coty perfumes, a three-year partnership with luxury watch maker Breitling launched last November and his most recent signing to a multi-year paying stint promoting the Chinese Super League, there is no end in sight to the revenue-generating business of Beckham.

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