China aims to become a global power in science and innovation, and a force on the soccer field. To fulfill its goals, the country has been busy attracting world-class scientists, not to mention star soccer players and coaches.

Prominent scientists, however, are not as expensive as soccer stars.

At the beginning of New Year, 27-year-old Belgian midfielder Axel Witsel grabbed the headlines saying it was difficult to refuse an e18-million ($18.9 million) a year paycheck from Tianjin Quanjian, a club recently promoted to China's top league. Witsel told the media that he found it difficult to refuse the "crucial offer for his family", which will mean a weekly salary of about e300,000.