Beijing (AFP) – Belgian midfielder Marouane Fellaini, the former Manchester United star, described the five years he spent with Shandong Taishan as among the best years of his career during his emotional farewell to the Chinese Football League.
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Fellaini (36 years old) announced in September that he would leave the club located in northeastern China, but without specifying his future, as some reports said that he would retire.
The Belgian wrote on his official Instagram page, “This is an emotional moment for me because it is time to say goodbye,” saying that he felt “pain in my heart.”
He added to his 2.5 million followers, “During the past five years, I have lived some of the best moments in my career.”
The former international midfielder (87 caps, 18 goals) won the Chinese League title with Shandong in 2021, and also won the domestic cup three times.
Fellaini, who spent six years at Manchester United between 2013 and 2019 before leaving for China, added, “I am also very happy and honored to discover China and its amazing culture. I have told my family and friends many times that the years I spent in China (of course with the exception of the Corona virus period, which were difficult… “Overall, it was one of the best years of my career.”
Fellaini excelled in his team’s shirt by scoring a hat-trick, all with headers, in eight minutes during a Chinese league match in 2020, after he spent three weeks in a hospital due to his infection with the Corona virus.
Fellaini followed in the footsteps of many foreign stars and coaches who moved to the Chinese League for large sums of money during the country’s football boom.
© 2023 AFP
2023-12-01 09:49:05
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