BERLIN－Former Shanghai Shenhua player Joerg Albertz is convinced the Chinese Super League's new salary cap can help revitalize the domestic game.

Last month, the Chinese Football Association announced strict new limits on the wages of both domestic and foreign players, intended to refocus teams on nurturing young homegrown talent.

Former Germany international Albertz reckons discouraging clubs from splashing the cash on veteran foreign stars can only benefit the Chinese game's development.

"Building a house, you don't start with the roof but with the basement. And the foundation is our kids," Albertz told Xinhua.

"You can't spend millions on players who are at a certain age and then expect Chinese football to get better."

Beginning next season and applicable through the 2023 campaign, domestic players' salaries in the Chinese Super League (CSL) will be capped at 5 million yuan (around $770,000) before tax.

Foreign players' wages in the CSL will be capped at 3 million euros ($3.6 million) before tax. In addition, clubs' total expenditure each season should not surpass 600 million yuan while each club's annual expenditure on imported players should not exceed 10 million euros before tax.

Albertz believes the new rules will strengthen the Chinese national team in the long run, and recommended that more local youth leagues be established.

However, he added that it could take a decade to see the fruits of the CFA's strategy.

Albertz, who also played for Hamburg and Fortuna Duesseldorf in his homeland, praised Germany's coaching system, which is credited with producing the nation's 2014 World Cup-winning squad. "Without good talent coaches, you can't set up a solid foundation," he said.

Albertz suited up for Shenhua for two seasons in 2003 and 2004, and said of the stint: "I don't regret a single minute from my time in China. That was a great experience."

He received a warm welcome on his last visit to Shenhua's Hongkou Stadium, recalling: "Nobody knew I was there (initially). Then someone saw me, and the crowd started chanting my name. I was greatly honored."

Albertz said he rarely has time to keep up with the CSL these days as he is kept busy running a soccer school, looking after his three kids and caring for his wife, who is battling cancer.

The former midfielder's time in China coincided with the SARS outbreak－a crisis with obvious parallels to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike most foreign stars in the league, Albertz chose not to leave China at that time, even joining an anti-SARS campaign together with Chinese basketball icon Yao Ming and other sports stars.

"If there are problems, you need to stick together and fight together," said Albertz, who called for a similar show of unity in the face of the current pandemic.

"It is important to create awareness of the problem and talk about solutions to get hold of it. I think we are basically at the same point again."

Xinhua