Shanghai Shenhua's French football player Nicolas Anelka poses with a Chinese immigration officer on his arrival at the Shanghai Pudong airport in China..
Shanghai Shenhua's French football player Nicolas Anelka poses with a Chinese immigration officer on his arrival at the Shanghai Pudong airport in China..
Shanghai Shenhua's French football player Nicolas Anelka poses with a Chinese immigration officer on his arrival at the Shanghai Pudong airport in China..
Shanghai Shenhua's French football player Nicolas Anelka poses with a Chinese immigration officer on his arrival at the Shanghai Pudong airport in China..

Nicolas Anelka makes his arrival in China to join Shanghai Shenhua


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Nicolas Anelka, the most high-profile foreign footballer ever to sign for the Chinese league, arrived to join up with his new side Shanghai Shenhua today, the club said.

The 32 year old former Chelsea striker posed for a photo with an immigration official at the city's airport before being whisked through security to a special VIP exit, the state-backed media website Eastday said.

China's legion of football fans are hoping the French international will not only boost Shenhua, who finished in the bottom half of the table last season, but also raise the standard of play in the country's scandal-hit Super League.

"Anelka finally came to Shenhua. My dream has finally come true," said one fan, Danni, on his microblog. "The Shenhua club's performance will definitely be worth watching this year."

Anelka was taken to the luxury Peninsula hotel, where he had breakfast in the lobby lounge while listening to music on his headphones, staff members said.

The club's players arrived back in Shanghai today after training in Spain.

One waiter who saw Anelka said the player's star power was a draw for Chinese football. "I will definitely go see a match this season," he said.

The season starts in March, but Shenhua have not announced specific dates.

Some fans, however, were pessimistic about the ability of one player to lift Shenhua to the top.

"Shenhua's defence is rotten. Just depending on Anelka to win the championship is dreaming," one said.

Anelka's arrival comes a year after a major crackdown on widespread match-fixing that left senior officials facing jail and severely damaged the reputation of China's Super League.

He is due to meet fans at an event tomorrow, when he will launch a new online game for a Chinese company headed by Shenhua's major shareholder.

The Chinese club has declined to say how much Anelka will earn for his two-year contract with the team.

Shenhua, 11th in the Chinese league last season, is the latest stop on Anelka's nomadic career, which has also taken in Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool, Manchester City, Bolton Wanderers and Turkey's Fenerbahce.

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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'Worse than a prison sentence'

Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.

“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.

“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.

“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.

“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.

“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”

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MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League, last-16, second leg (first-leg scores in brackets):

PSG (2) v Manchester United (0)

Midnight (Thursday), BeIN Sports

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The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5