Manchester City midfielder, Yaya Toure, has claimed that Manchester United striker, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, influenced him to remain in England.
The Ivorian turned down a £430,000-a-week offer from the Chinese Super League, deciding to stay at the Etihad.
Yaya Toure, whose contract at City is up at the end of this season, says he does not understand why players leave Europe for China.
The 33-year-old fell out of favour with manager Pep Guardiola at the beginning of the season, but has since returned to establish himself as key figure in the first team.
Asked whether a move to China appealed, Toure told reporters: “Me? No. I’m still looking young, right?
“I want to play in Europe, especially in England. I want to continue doing that for a few years yet.
“I always say that if I went to China I would end up feeling angry there.
“Do you play football because you love football or do you play because you want to make money?
“Me, I just want to play football because I enjoy it. I love playing. I enjoy helping my team-mates, I enjoy playing against the big players and teams.
“Look at my friend Ibrahimovic. He’s 35 and he’s going to play for maybe… three more years?”
“He’s got the same mentality as me. He’s a big player, a champion who loves football. It’s football first.
“Anything after that is a bonus. You can be lucky to go and play for big clubs and still earn a lot of money. But those who go to China… I don’t think like that.”
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