Former Nigerian forward Brown Ideye shared on Wednesday his wife’s reaction upon seeing the salary and bonuses offered by Tianjin TEDA of the Chinese Super League.
Despite not initially planning to play in China, the lucrative deal made him reconsider. Ideye posted on X.com that once he revealed the figures to his wife, she quickly packed his bags and had him ready to travel the following day.
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The 36-year-old wrote, “I had no plans to go to China, Olympiacos received an offer from TEDA which they can’t refuse, my agent negotiated with TEDA about my salary and bonuses.
“When I saw the long numbers and told my wife, na she pack my luggage for me to leave the next day LOL…”
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In a 2019 interview with The PUNCH, Ideye admitted that his experience in China was extremely challenging.
“I was ordered to train with the youth team despite not going against any laid down rules. I don’t pray for any footballer to go through all that I experienced this past one year in China. Thank God I’m back in the game and psychologically I have put that behind me. I need to pick up well from where I stopped and focus on my new club and hopefully do better.
“It wasn’t easy but I had to keep my body in good shape and stay strong mentally. It was not what I wanted, the club (Tianjin TEDA) chose that path and I had to respect the tough call they made,” he told The PUNCH.
Ideye also cited injuries and difficulties adapting to the local culture as reasons for his lackluster performances at West Bromwich Albion and Tianjin Teda.
Following a standout stint at Dynamo Kyiv, where he netted 45 goals in 106 matches, Ideye transferred to West Brom in 2014 for a then-club-record £10m fee.
However, he struggled to meet expectations, managing only seven goals in 37 appearances for the Baggies.
His challenges persisted at Tianjin Teda, where his form remained disappointing after moving from Olympiacos.
“The issue I had in China was that there is this rule that every six months, they had to reshuffle the team and at the time I got to China, it was really difficult for me; the language, the players, not having good food.”
“It took me time to really adjust to the Chinese league, and with all the expectations from the fans and the team. The management felt I wasn’t good enough or that I couldn’t meet the expectations placed on me, they ended up signing a new player in my position and they asked me to go on loan.”
Ideye’s reflection on his contract with Tianjin TEDA on Wednesday may be linked to the ongoing speculation about Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen’s future.
