Shanghai surprise: city rivals become Chinese Super League’s powerhouses
Port and Shenhua are tussling for the title after years of underachievement under the canny management of Kevin Muscat and Leonid Slutsky
Shanghai is China’s biggest city and commercial centre but the shining metropolis on the banks of the Huangpu River has never really led the way in the country’s football scene. In the 80s and 90s, Dalian and Liaoning way up in the north were dominant and, when the spending spree got under way in 2010, the southern giants Guangzhou ruled the roost.
This season is very different. With 21 of the 30 games of the 2024 Chinese Super League played, Shanghai Port are top with 57 points, two points above Shanghai Shenhua. Both are unbeaten, with the rest nowhere.
