What’s the story?
Ex-Chelsea star Michael Ballack spoke at length about Diego Costa’s situation at Chelsea and warned the player about a move to China. Talking at the launch of the Star Sixes tournament at the O2 stadium in London, Ballack admitted that the Chinese influx in football was a worrying sign.
Also Read: Transfer Rumour: Chelsea ready to let Diego Costa leave for £130 million
The German said, “It's crazy. It's numbers that we are not used to, even if in England there has been a lot of money involved for a while. It's still another level.
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“I don't think it's normal, but hopefully we come back a bit to normal days and players remember they are playing in the best league in the world. That's, I think, what counts for you as a player if you are on a high salary and you are earning, let's say, enough money… which you normally can't spend in your lifetime,” said the former German midfielder
In case you didn’t know...
Diego Costa’s situation at Chelsea has been a huge story after speculation regarding links with Chinese Super League club Tianjin Quanjian. The player has apparently been offered a massive £30 million by the Chinese club who want to bring a player of his calibre to the CSL.
If reports are to be believed, Costa was tempted by the deal which resulted in him being dropped by Chelsea manager Antonio Conte.
The heart of the matter
Ballack was surprised by the sheer amount of money offered and at the same time stressed on the fact that such a massive sum of money can’t be spent in a lifetime.
The German also commented on the inferior quality of the Chinese Super League and was all praise for European football. He added that audience, quality and the location are important factors to be kept in mind when choosing clubs as a footballer.
However, Ballack lent some support to football players as well and said that football is a temporary profession and big money was bound to make heads turn.
What’s next?
Costa is going to stay at Chelsea until the coming summer in all probability. The Blues are having a wonderful campaign in the Premier League at the moment and it would be very detrimental if Costa were to leave the club in this transfer window.
Also Read: Chelsea Transfer Rumour: Blues line move for Christian Benteke to replace Diego Costa
Chinese clubs will certainly be interested in trying again in the next transfer window as both Costa and Chelsea would be in a better position to talk out a possible deal.
Sportskeeda’s take
Michael Ballack has just reiterated what several pundits and former players have said about the quality and standard of the Chinese league. Footballers definitely have a tough choice at hand which pitches money and passion against each other.
The German rightly points out that although the money is huge, it is something that a person cannot fathom spending in a lifetime.
