Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39880881›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2025

East Asian expatriate football players and national team success: Chinese, Japanese, and South Korean players in Europe (2000-2024).

Le Luo, Yangke Tang, Xiaohan Li, Ge Sun, Enkai Guo, Hanbing Xu

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Le LuoCollege of Humanities and Law, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China.
Yangke TangBeijing Sport University, Beijing, China.
Xiaohan LiCollege of Humanities and Law, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China.
Ge SunCollege of Humanities and Law, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China.
Enkai GuoCollege of Physical Education, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Hanbing XuSchool of Physical Education and Sport, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China. hanbingxu@bnu.edu.cn.

Funding

Research Project of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education 20YJC890032Research Project on the Exploration of Open and Cultivation Models for the Integration of Science and Education Platforms Aimed at Cultivating Top Innovative Talents 2024JGKJ009
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of Chinese, Japanese, and South Korean football players' participation in European leagues on their national teams' FIFA rankings from 2000 to 2024. Utilizing data from 22,972 matches featuring 392 players across 36 European leagues and 12 tournaments or cup competitions, survival and conditional process analyses were conducted to explore the relationships between expatriate player counts, appearances, playing time, and FIFA rankings. The results demonstrated a significant correlation between the number of expatriate players, particularly in top-tier leagues, and national team rankings. Notably, Japanese and South Korean players exhibited longer durations of participation and higher rates of advancement to elite European leagues compared to Chinese players. Furthermore, the conditional process analysis revealed an indirect effect of expatriate player count on FIFA rankings, mediated by increased appearances and playing time, with the strongest influence observed in the Big Five leagues. These findings underscore the importance of international exposure for advancing East Asian football and provide insights for policymakers on effectively nurturing young talents for international careers.

Indexed as

AthletesAthletic PerformanceSoccerChinaEast Asian PeopleEuropeHumansJapanMaleRepublic of KoreaEast AsiaEuropean leaguesExpatriateFootball playersThe Big Five

Identifiers

PMID39880881
PMCPMC11779897

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.