These three players alone cost a total of around £90 million as they joined the likes of Jiansgu Suning and Guangzhou Evergrande, but none could score in their first outings
China was perhaps the biggest story of the winter transfer window, splashing out huge fees to prise established stars away from big European clubs in what could be the start of a huge shake-up for the world game.
Three of those big new signings - Jiangsu Suning's Alex Teixeira and Ramires plus Jackson Martinez at Guangzhou Evergrande - made their debuts in a midweek round of Asian Champions League matches in what turned out to be a slow start all round for all three expensive imports.
The brightest of the trio was former Shakhtar Donetsk forward Teixeira, who showed flashes of skill and nearly created a goal for his new side, but his fellow Brazilian, ex-Chelsea midfielder Ramires, had a more inauspicious game as Jiangsu drew 1-1 away against Vietnamese club Binh Duong.
Jackson Martinez left Atletico Madrid after an abortive start to his career at the Estadio Vicente Calderon, with his struggles in front of goal continuing as he pulled on the Guangzhou shirt for the first time, missing a couple of chances in a 0-0 draw with Pohang Steelers.
- Goal