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#3 Axel Witsel to Tianjin Quanjian
Before he moved to Tianjin Quanjian in the Chinese Super League, Axel Witsel played in the Russian Premier League for Zenit. The Belgian surely followed an interesting trajectory while switching clubs.
Witsel started out at Standard Liege as a 17-year-old and moved to Benfica after impressing in Belgium. Thereafter he went to the Russian side Zenit and then to Tianjin Quanijan, who were just promoted to the first division. Safe to say, it was not the most progressive ladder to climb as far as the hierarchy of club football is concerned.
The midfielder's contract was about to run out in six months and he decided to cash in on himself by going to China. Juventus reportedly came very close to signing Witsel but the Belgian wasn't sure if it was the right time to move. He completed his move to Tianjin Quanjian a year later, where he was reportedly earning a sum of £15.3 million annually.
The 32-year-old made a return to European football with what is now arguably the biggest club on his CV, Borussia Dortmund, in 2018. Witsel's brief stay lasted a year and a half in the Chinese Super League, where he also scored the newly promoted side's first goal in the top-flight. During the spell, Witsel registered six goals and four assists in all competitions for Tianjin Quanijan.
#2 Yannick Carrasco to Dalian Yifang
Yannick Carrasco suggested that one of the motives to move to China was in fact for the development of the game in the Asian country. He wished to uplift the quality of the Chinese Super League, along with other European stars like Axel Witsel, Oscar, Hulk and fellow Atletico Madrid team-mate Nicolas Gaitan.
The Belgian is one of the few players who, after leaving for the Chinese Super League, could make it back to the top level of European football. He returned to Atletico, where he had a three-year spell prior to his move to the Chinese Super League, initially on loan in 2020 before making the move permanent.
At Dalian Yifang, he shone the brightest among the various other European players, netting 24 goals and assisting another 17 from 52 appearances across all competitions.
In his second spell with Los Rojiblancos, Carrasco won the La Liga trophy last season and has so far made 60 appearances at the time of writing. Despite him fitting in like a glove at Atletico after returning from the Chinese Super League, it is still an undeniable fact that he probably should've never left anyway.
#1 Oscar to Shanghai SIPG
It's always disappointing when the change in managers and the philosophy at a football club leads to the axing of cherished talents. Oscar's big-money move to the Chinese Super League occurred in somewhat similar circumstances. Oscar wrapped up his four-and-a-half-year stay at Chelsea after Antonio Conte replaced Jose Mourinho at Stamford Bridge.
The Italian preferred a 3-4-3 system, which did not demand an attacking No.10 at all points. As a result, Oscar had gone almost three months without any first team action and decided to call it quits at Chelsea. The transfer made Oscar the most expensive player in the Chinese Super League.
Oscar admitted at the time of the move he was approached by clubs like Atletico Madrid, AC Milan and Juventus, all promising him significant roles in their squad. However, the offer from China was too good to be refused and the Brazilian preferred it and the financial security to his family that came with it.
The Brazilian, when signed by the Chinese Super League side, pipped fellow countryman Hulk, who earned £317,000 per week in wages. He became the highest paid player in the league by earning a reported £400,000 a week.
Aged 30, Oscar has now entered his fourth year in China, which explains how early he decided to call time on what could have been a fulfilling career in Europe.
