Giovanni Christiaan van Bronckhorst, a retired Netherlands soccer player, has been appointed as the manager of Chinese Super League club Guangzhou R&F, according to the club source.

The 45-year-old international, known as Gio in Spain, replaced the Guangzhou club’s former manager Dragan Stojkovic, a Serbian international who had served the Guangzhou R&F for five years.

"Chinese soccer has been globally exposed in recent years, following introduction of a number of renowned international players and coaches," said Gio.

A former midfielder and left-back, Gio served a number of big European clubs, including Feyenoord, Glasgow Rangers, Arsenal and Barcelona.

Gio was manager of the Netherlands giant Feyenoord in 2015-2019, after retiring in 2010 following Netherlands’ runner-up position in the World Cup in South Africa.

"I will try my best to bring the Guangzhou R&F club to a higher level," said Gio.