BRAZIL star Hulk has arrived in China ahead of his £45million move to Shanghai SIGP — where he will become the eighth highest paid footballer in the world.
The Chinese Super League club agreed the massive fee with Russian side Zenit Saint Petersburg fro the striker.
Hulk, 29, was greeted by hundreds of fans at the airport and was given flowers and scarves upon his arrival.
And the former Porto star had another reason to be smiling as he is reported to earning £16.6m-a-year.
That figure puts him firmly in the top ten of the worlds highest paid above Luis Suarez and Chelsea’s Eden Hazard.
But Hulk is a long way off Cristiano Ronaldo, who earns an astonishing £52.6m-a-year.
The move will also put him at No18 on the list of most expensive players of all time — overtaking Arsenal superstar Mesut Ozil.
Related Stories
Hulk is latest big-name star to move to China, following the likes of Jackson Martinez, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Paulinho and Ramires.
The 29-year-old will find former Sunderland forward, Asamoah Gyan, and Dario Conca among his team-mates at Shanghai SIPG.
Givanildo Vieira de Sousa — who is better known known as ‘Hulk’ due to nickname given to him because a likeness to a Brazilian actor who played the comic hero in a 1970s TV show — will be working under Sven Goran Eriksson.
But the former England boss is under-fire at the Chinese club with some fans calling for ‘Svexit’.
Hulk moved to Zenit in 2008 for £33m with a host of clubs trying to sign the striker known for his power on the pitch.
And now Hulk has made the decision to finish his career in Asia.
Leave a comment