The men's national football squad of China have new assignments; reach the World Cup last 16 and become a recognized for footballing prowess globally.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is a big fan of football. The country is training a pool of young players in a bid to nurture talented individuals that will strengthen their World Cup chances and to improve the nation's current 84th place in the world rankings.

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"We will strive to build our national team into a strong and competitive team on the world stage and get ready a bid for the World Cup," Chinese Football Association president Cai Zhenhua said.

Currently, Asia's highest-ranked team in the world is Iran at number 45. South Korea is ranked at 51st and and Japan is at the 53rd spot.

Cai Zhenhua admitted that it will take some time before they can achieve their given goal. But he is optimistic that through their steadfast efforts, China can attain their target of reaching the top 16 at the World Cup.

Recently, state-backed China Media Capital bought a $400 million (£268.5 million) stake in the ownership of English Premier League club Manchester City. It is believed to be Beijing's biggest investment in the sports of football overseas.

The jointly hosted World Cup finals by Japan and South Korea in 2002 was the only time China qualified and appeared at the prestigious sporting event. The campaign of the Chinese football team was a failure as they were eliminated in the group stage conceding nine goals and scoring none.

Guangzhou Evergrande is currently Asia's club champions. The team is under the watch Luiz Felipe Scolari. China's goalless draw with Hong Kong in a qualifier match in November was a big blow to the country's dreams in appearing in the 2018 finals.

TagsChina Men's Footbal Team, Football, World Cup Last16, Iran, Manchester City, Asia's Club Champion