Brown Ideye, a former Super Eagles striker, has shared a hilarious story, telling story about his unexpected move to China when he was approached by Chinese Super League side, Tianjin TEDA.
On Wednesday, Ideye narrated how his wife’s reaction to the financial terms of the deal influenced his decision.
According to him, he had no plans of heading to China, but the lucrative offer from TEDA, which included an irresistible salary and bonuses, quickly changed his mind.
Sharing the moment on his X.com account, the AFCON 2013 winner wrote, “I had no plans to go to China, Olympiacos received an offer from TEDA which they couldn’t refuse. My agent negotiated with TEDA about my salary and bonuses. When I saw the long numbers and told my wife, na she pack my luggage for me to leave the next day LOL…”
Though the financial rewards were tempting, Ideye later admitted that his time in China was far from smooth.
In a 2019 interview with The PUNCH, he described the challenges he faced, including being relegated to train with the youth team despite following all the rules.
“I don’t pray for any footballer to go through all that I experienced this past one year in China. Thank God I’m back in the game and psychologically I have put that behind me. I need to pick up well from where I stopped and focus on my new club and hopefully do better,” he lamented.
Ideye also highlighted the difficulties he faced in adjusting to life in China, including the language barrier, unfamiliar food, and cultural differences, which ultimately affected his performance.
“It took me time to really adjust to the Chinese league, and with all the expectations from the fans and the team. The management felt I wasn’t good enough or that I couldn’t meet the expectations placed on me, they ended up signing a new player in my position and they asked me to go on loan,” he explained.
Before his move to China, Ideye had an impressive stint at Ukrainian side Dynamo Kyiv, where he netted 45 goals in 106 games. This earned him a move to West Bromwich Albion in the English Premier League for a club-record fee of £10 million in 2014.
However, his time in England didn’t go as planned, as he struggled to replicate his form, scoring just seven goals in 37 appearances. Unfortunately, his challenges continued in China after moving from Greek giants Olympiacos to Tianjin TEDA.
