Marcello Lippi Named China Manager: Latest Contract Details, Comments, Reaction

Marcello Lippi has been appointed manager of China, per the Associated Press (h/t the Guardian). The Chinese Football Association confirmed the 68-year-old's new position on Saturday. 

Lippi, who won the 2006 FIFA World Cup with Italy, takes over a nation that has reached just a single World Cup: the 2002 tournament in South Korea and Japan.

Significantly, Lippi has now become the highest-paid manager in the world. Kaveh Solhekol of Sky Sports provided details of the 68-year-old's eye-popping salary:

Lippi's deal came about when current club Guangzhou Evergrande cancelled his contract. The announcement was made on the Chinese club's official site (h/t ESPN FC's Michael Church).

Lippi was supposed to return to the club he guided to a hat-trick of Chinese titles next year. However, the termination of the club deal was merely the precursor to Lippi's step back up to international level: "The former Juventus coach met with Chinese Football Association (CFA) President Cai Zhenhua alongside the president of the Evergrande Corporation, Xu Jiayin, in Beijing and is now expected to sign a four-year contract on Monday."

Lippi had retired from club management in 2014, citing his age as a factor, per BBC Sport: "I don't want to coach anymore, I'm too old."

Clearly, the lure of a lucrative contract, as well as the significant sporting challenge, has been enough to tempt the Italian back, albeit to a domain with less of the day-to-day intensity of club management.

Hiring Lippi is intended to give Chinese football a credibility boost. The country's top league is loaded with money and some star names, including Colombian striker Jackson Martinez and Brazilian maestro Alex Teixeira.

Yet success has been tougher to acquire at international level. Church detailed how China has earned just a single point from four qualifying matches for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

It's why Lippi is a good choice to replace former China manager Gao Hongbo. Credibility is the cornerstone of his resume. Not only did he win the World Cup with Italy, Lippi also reached four UEFA Champions League finals with Juventus, winning the tournament once.

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His track record is set to give Lippi virtual carte blanche to improve China's standing in the international game, according to Church, who noted the Italian will play "a major part in overhauling the entire structure of Chinese football."

The start of the process has to be qualifying for Russia. It will begin for Lippi on November 15, when his new side takes on Qatar, per FIFA's former China site.