The Didier Drogba Experiment In Shanghai Is Over: Striker Joins Anelka And Joel Griffiths In Skipping Town

Shanghai trio leaving
Didier Drogba rode into China with hopes of changing Chinese football. “I think I have a little bit of experience — I come here to share that experience and some knowledge,” he said back in July. Given the chance on a different team, he might have succeeded, and we might be writing a different story.... Read more »

Anelka Negotiating His Release From Shanghai To Play For Crappy QPR

Anelka split with Shanghai
Shanghai’s Nicolas Anelka experiment is fast coming to an end. Multiple outlets have reported that FC Shenhua is in talks to negotiate a contract cancellation for the French striker, who seems destined to wind up with the English Premier League’s Queens Park Rangers. AFP reports via Sina that “Anelka has agreed to forgo the final year... Read more »

Didier Drogba Sets Up Shenhua FC’s Only Goal In CSL Debut, Almost Scores On Ridiculous 40-Yard Free Kick

Didier Drogba Sets Up Shenhua FC’s Only Goal In CSL Debut
Unlike Shanghai teammate Nicolas Anelka's rather tepid Chinese Super League debut, Didier Drogba made quite the impact yesterday in his first CSL match. Coming on as a sub after halftime, Drogba's first touch of the ball was a 40-yard free kick that AFP aptly described as "outrageous" (video of this strike appears after the jump). The former Chelsea striker would go on to set up his team's only goal, a beautiful through-ball into the box that teammate Cao Yunding converts in the 68th minute, to help Shenhua earn an away draw vs. Guangzhou R&F.

Didier Drogba To Shanghai Is Official… As Soon As Drogba Decides It Is [UPDATE]

Drogba puts torch-carrying duties over Shanghai team announcements
Shanghai FC Shenhua has a problem with prima donnas, specifically one Nicolas Anelka, currently the highest paid player in the Chinese Super League. Last month, according to the Telegraph, he threatened to quit the team, whining, “If there is still no one to support me and (they) continue to play little tricks behind my back…... Read more »

Every Anelka Touch In His Chinese Super League Debut (And Every Goal From The ‘National Derby’)

Every Anelka Touch In His Chinese Super League Debut
The most expensive player in Chinese soccer history made his belated Super League debut yesterday in Beijing after sitting out last week's CSL opener with a knee injury. About 51,000 people packed Workers Stadium to see it. Even without Anelka, the 33-year-old striker nicknamed "Le Sulk" during his time at Arsenal, the game probably would have drawn massive interest, considering it was the National Derby, played between hated rivals Beijing Guoan and Shanghai Shenhua, and it was Beijing's home opener. But Anelka's presence, at the very least, piqued the attention of international media.

Anelka And Shanghai Shenhua FC Are In Beijing Tonight, And This Is Why You Should Root Against Them

Anelka and wife
So... the French. Their language sounds like a bit of old pudding being forced through a keyhole. Their attitude and manners are somewhere between a toaster and mildly mentally-deficient groundhog. And their only useful purpose, as far as I can see, is keeping the Germans away from the Spaniards, who seem really quite nice. The French are rubbish.

‘You Just Made A French Concession!’ And Other Heckles For Anelka At Tonight’s Beijing Guoan Home Opener

Charles Platiau / Reuters
Before you go racing to Workers Stadium though, you should know Anelka — the former Chelsea and French national team star — may not play tonight due to injury (game-time decision). Also, you may not want to chant “French Concession,” considering the last guy who used that phrase publicly got fined 47,500 yuan. And really,... Read more »