Former Super Eagles striker, Odion Ighalo has revealed that his move to Chinese club Changchun Yatai was driven purely by financial reasons.
Ighalo left Watford in 2017 for a £20 million switch to the Chinese Super League side, where he went on to score 36 goals over two seasons.
Speaking on the Echo Podcast, the ex-Manchester United forward admitted he didn’t think twice when the lucrative offer came in.
“I was 27 at the time. I’d already fulfilled my personal dream of playing in the English Premier League,” Ighalo said.
“Growing up in Ajegunle, I never imagined reaching the level I did. All I wanted was to make some money to change my family’s life and make them proud — alongside a dream of playing in the Premier League, which we watched a lot. It’s the most viewed league in the world.
“Back then, we’d pay to sit in viewing centers, squeezing together just to watch matches. That dream had already come true for me. So when the offer from China came, I saw it as a chance to secure my future financially — and I grabbed it.”
Ighalo added that Watford accepted the offer even before he gave his consent, given how substantial it was.
“The club agreed to £20 million no other team would pay that. I signed a four-year contract with Changchun Yatai but spent two years there, scoring 36 goals in 53 or 54 games, before moving to Shanghai Shenhua on even better terms because I did so well.”
He went on to spend a season at Shanghai Shenhua before securing a loan move to Manchester United.
“I played one year at Shanghai, then went on loan to Manchester United,” Ighalo, now with Al-Wehda in Saudi Arabia, concluded.