Drogba arrives to hero’s welcome in China, says has joined Shanghai Shenhua not for money but for new experience

Former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba arrived in China on Saturday, saying his move to Shanghai Shenhua was not motivated by money despite reportedly becoming the highest-paid player in the country, says a report in The Hindu. “It would have been easier for me to stay in Europe, but I chose China,” Drogba said. “Money is not the most important. I am here for a whole new experience.”
Drogba said he would not be winding down toward retirement in China but eager to show his best. “I am here to win matches and be the champion. I am not here to retire,” said the 34-year-old Ivory Coast International player, who played a key role in Chelsea’s winning last season’s European Champions League final.

Meanwhile according to a report in The Indian Express, it is not money but the big challenge in an unfamiliar land that lured Didier Drogba to China, the Ivory Coast striker said on Saturday. More than 300 fans gathered at the Shanghai airport to welcome Drogba on his much-anticipated arrival to join Chinese Super League strugglers Shanghai Shenhua.

Drogba has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with the big-spending club for a reported salary of $300,000 a week, ending weeks of speculation on his future after he announced his decision to leave Champions League winners Chelsea. “I decided to come here because when the club and the president approached me, I looked at the project and it came with ambitious ideas and he wants to ... help football develop in China,” Drogba told reporters after his unveiling.

“I know China is a great sports country so for me it was also a big challenge because it could have been easy for me to stay in Europe and go to another team, another big team. Really, I didn’t come here with the idea of making a lot of money. I come here because it is a completely different challenge from what I have seen in Europe before. “And that’s the idea, there are many challenges but this one is a big one.”

Meanwhile a Times Of India report says that Drogba is the latest in a fast-growing number of foreign stars to have been lured to China on enormous salaries that are typically funded by Chinese business titans.  Drogba will join French striker Nicolas Anelka, who signed with Shenhua in January on a deal believed to be nearly as high.

The fearsome strikers will work under former Argentine coach Sergio Batista, who joined the club in May. Shenhua is bankrolled by high-profile video-game tycoon Zhu Jun.

Shanghai Shenhua play Beijing Guoan on Saturday night at home in what is regarded as one of the biggest fixtures on the Chinese domestic football calendar.  Drogba will not play on Saturday night but is expected to appear on the pitch to greet fans. He is also due to hold a press conference on Saturday afternoon. Drogba will likely play his first game for his new side next week when Shenhua play Changchun away in the Chinese FA Cup, according to local press reports. He and Anelka face an uphill battle to redeem their new club's season. Half way through, Shanghai Shenhua sit just one point off the bottom of the 16-club Chinese Super League.