Brazilian football star Oscar (Photo : Twitter)
Chinese soccer fans warmly received Brazilian star Oscar upon his arrival in Shanghai for his transfer to the Shanghai SIPG club.
High Expectations
More than a hundred fans showed up on Monday at the Shanghai International Airport to herald the arrival of the international midfielder, China Daily reported.
They wore the team's colors of red and white and chanted his name upon his arrival.
Oscar graciously greeted the welcoming party and signed some autographs before being led away by SIPG team officials.
The team's supporters expressed their excitement over what Oscar can bring to the table.
30-year-old Shao Lei said that the Brazilian star will help a lot in expanding his favorite team's capabilities and improving their shot at the championship in the upcoming Chinese Super League season.
Major Acquisition
Shanghai SIPG reportedly acquired the 25-year-old midfielder from Premiere League ball club Chelsea for a hefty $63 million. The deal reportedly makes Oscar the highest paid player in the world today, with an expected weekly salary of almost $500,000.
However, he could eventually be surpassed by Carlos Tevez, who recently signed up with Shanghai Shenhua, which also participates in the CSL. The team reportedly offered the Argentine forward more than $600,000 a week.
Chelsea team manager Antonio Comte notes that the recent acquisitions made by Chinese clubs could pose a "threat" to other teams, saying that the amount of money they are willing to spend on top players is something that not a lot of other clubs can't easily compete with, the South China Morning Post reported.
For his part, SIPG General Manager Sui Guoyang said that this is the best they can do to attract good talent.
He adds that Oscar would unlikely have come to their side if they had not offered a sizable sum.
Sui also said that, with the gap between the European leagues and the CSL, they really need to do such a move.
Oscar will be joining fellow Brazilians Hulk and Elkeson in SIPG's lineup under former Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas.
