A selection of footballers who preferred a fat paycheck to a successful career. Oscar, Adebayor and others

Money makes the world go round and football is no exception. Players who have traded promising careers for huge sums of money are swarming. Each footballer simply has different priorities and just as Neo in the Matrix could choose between the blue pill and the red pill, it is up to the footballers which path they choose.

Emmanuel Adebayor

It’s questionable whether Adebayor belongs on this list. His placement on this list is not because he has harmed himself career-wise, but rather character-wise.

Immediately after Manchester City was bought by wealthy sheikhs and started throwing money around, Adebayor was one of the first to have his brain clouded by Arab money. In 2009, he signed a contract that earned him a (then) astronomical £175,000 a week.

I suppose no one could blame him. The plans were huge, but it was a step into the unknown. The irony is that Adebayor paid the price for just how ambitious the club’s plans were. He was subsequently pushed out of the club by Džeko, Tevez and Balotelli.

Adebayor was thus no longer needed and left the club. He tried his luck on loan at Real Madrid and later at Tottenham. The fearsome goalscorer he was before his move to the Citizens was no longer awakened in him.

Alex Teixeira

The Brazilian footballer made a name for himself at Shakhtar, where he transferred from Vasco de Gama. Alex’s name was in the consciousness of fans and leading European clubs. He scored 89 goals in 223 games as an offensive midfielder.

Despite Liverpool’s strong interest, Teixeira chose to move to China. Specifically, to Jiangsu Suning. The transfer cost 32 million euros. He’s made a good mark in China too. In five years, he played 150 games, scoring 72 goals and winning the championship once. After one season at Besiktas, he returned to the club where his football career began.

Jackson Martínez

Martínez came to Porto as a replacement for Falcao. And it has to be said, it was a decent replacement. In 132 games, he scored 92 goals and he too became one of the most sought-after strikers in the world. As with his predecessor, Martínez moved to the Spanish capital.

However, he didn’t fare well at Atlético, and so after just six months another transfer came. Jackson heard a pretty fat call from China and with 240,000 euros a week in his pocket, he moved to Evergrande. This transfer also went horribly and Jackson played only 16 games and scored 4 goals. China tribute is not for everyone.

Hulk

After a great stint at Porto and huge interest from perhaps all the top European clubs, Hulk decided to move to Zenit St Petersburg. A very surprising move. Hulk spent four years there, where he greased his pockets and went on to make even more money at Shanghai. 320,000 a week is just not to be refused.

At the moment, and after not fulfilling his huge potential, he’s finishing his career in Brazil. Honestly, I find this name on the list probably the most disappointing. I always wanted to see him at a big club. Hulk himself will probably be happy with his career. I’m sure he could have achieved more. A lot more.

Axel Witsel

Witsel started his career at Standard Lutych in Belgium. There he won two league titles and the award for the best player in the whole competition. A step up followed logically and he signed for Benfica Lisbon in 2011. He spent just one season there, but it was enough to make himself a highly sought-after commodity.

However, the then very talented Witsel decided to sign for Zenit and became a teammate of the aforementioned Hulk. The transfer of these two caused great discontent at the club as the current players were not happy with the wage disparity. Even after the Russian stint, he had a chance to continue at a leading European club. Juventus were very interested.

Witsel has never made any secret of the fact that he made his decision purely on economic grounds, hence the subsequent transfer to China’s Tianjin Quanjian. After a year and a half, he returned to Europe.

Oscar

Another player who answered the call from China. After five successful seasons at Chelsea, winning the league twice and the Europa League once, Oscar decided he needed a new challenge. Despite interest from Italy or Spain, a move to Chinese Shanghai came. At 25. At a time when he was in his prime footballing years. Oscar made no secret of the fact that it was all about the money.

” Every footballer, or working person, wants to make money to help their family. I come from a very poor part of Brazil. We had nothing at all. This is the reward for my work. If I earn this much, it’s because I earned it.” Oscar stated after the transfer.

A return to Brazil was imminent in the summer of 2022. Oscar had even already posted a photo of him posing with a Flamengo jersey, which was ready to officially announce the transfer. At the last minute, Shanghai refused to sign the documents that were needed, and Oscar was forced to stay in China. He is still only 31 years old. Even so, it appears that a European comeback will not be happening.

Anderson Talisca

Talisca began his career in Bahia, Brazil. Within a year, he earned a transfer to Europe. Benfica paid less than five million euros for him. In his first year in his new job, he played 44 games and scored 11 goals, a decent record for an offensive midfielder.

Talisca was brimming with great talent, which he never quite fulfilled as he basically disappeared from the eyes of football fans. After a guest stint at Besiktas came an engagement in China. Here he spent three full seasons at Guangzhou. It is possible that we will hear more about him nowadays, as Cristiano Ronaldo has become his teammate.

Talisca has therefore gone to Saudi Arabia, to the Al Nassr club, after his engagement in China. Overall, his stats are great considering his position. In total, he has played over 340 games and scored 140 goals in all engagements. However, Talisca remains just another player who could have had a huge success in Europe, which he traded for a fat chunk of money.

Source: Transfermarkt