Chinese clubs have been spending aggressively to lure talented football players from across the globe.

Tabas, speaking in Singapore, acknowledged that the CSL is well on its way to being the best league in the world. While he hopes the transformation does not involve Messi and Ronaldo, he said it all comes down to money.

"This is an issue of finance, whether the La Liga is still growing. If we continue on that path, and have enough future resources, we will be able to keep our players," Tabas said.

Spain is not the only country whose league is being targeted by China. Late last year, there were reports of England's Wayne Rooney leaving Manchester United for the CSL.

Sven Goran Eriksson, manager of Shanghai SIPG and former England boss, is confident that CSL clubs will be able to lure the best players. "Names like Lionel Messi, Ronaldo, and Rooney, yes it will probably happen fairly soon that players of that calibre go to a big Chinese club," he said.

President Xi Jinping has made it a national agenda to improve the country's league. Chinese billionaires and corporations are doing all they can to make that happen, infusing the CSL with money and heavily investing in European football.

Eriksson says it could be at least another decade before China starts to dominate the game internationally. However, he noted that the foundation is securely in place. "It's important to understand that the clubs [in China] aren't just focused on big-name stars but are also spending big money on their own youth development," he said.

China will have an opportunity to showcase its football progress at World Cup Russia in 2018.