Tevez makes new home in Shanghai
Shanghai, Jan. 21: Argentine forward Carlos Tevez said on Saturday he will have to earn every yuan of his reportedly world-leading salary as he officially joined Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua, declaring it his “new home.”
Tevez, who arrived to a rapturous fan welcome Thursday, is arguably the highest-profile foreign player to ever play in China, one of a slew of overseas stars lured by increasingly lavish sums that have triggered a backlash from Chinese authorities.
The 32-year-old was introduced to local media Saturday and held his first workout with the club, sealing a deal that Argentine media said earns him around 38 million euros ($41 million) a year.
That would make him the world’s top-grossing footballer, out-pacing even megastars like compatriot Lionel Messi and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo.
Tevez declined to comment on his contract, but acknowledged the circumstances brought dauntingly high expectations.
“There will probably be pressure, but because I love football very much I will use my passion for the sport. Even if there will be pressure I will forget about it on the field,” he told reporters.
“I know the CSL is getting tougher and tougher year after year, and this year will be extremely intense,” he said, speaking in Spanish through a Chinese interpreter.
He called the coming season “a very big challenge”.
A goal-scoring dynamo throughout his career for such heavyweights as Manchester United, Manchester City, Juventus, and most recently Argentina’s Boca Juniors, Tevez arrived amid fierce debate in China over foreign player imports.
Corporates break the vault
The deep-pocketed big corporations behind Super League clubs have broken the Asian transfer fee record five times over the past year, a spree that also has brought in Brazilians Oscar, Hulk, Alex Teixeira, and Ramires, and Colombia’s Jackson Martinez.
Oscar arrived from Chelsea earlier in January for a reported 60-millioneuro ($63 million) fee, a new record for an Asian team.
With his nearly every utterance cheered by blueclad Shenhua fans, Tevez likewise declined comment on the money controversy, saying he was focused on winning.
The warm welcome in Shanghai so far “made me realise that I have a new home,” said Tevez, who later took to a nearby pitch for a training session with the side. — AFP