Former Super Eagles and Manchester United striker, Jude Odion Ighalo, has revealed the reason he left Watford for Chinese Super League side, Changchun Yatai, Soccernet.ng reports.
The 36-year-old achieved his lifelong dream of playing in the English Premier League in 2014 when he joined Watford from Granada.
Ighalo helped the Hornets gain promotion to the English top-flight after scoring 20 goals and providing three assists in 35 EFL Championship games.
The following season, he scored 15 Premier League goals, which saw him earn a move to Changchun Yatai.
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“When the offer came again, I said, ‘This is an opportunity to make money’… it was a very good money.”
Odion Ighalo tells the story of how he finally moved to China. pic.twitter.com/hKSUxp849Q
— @ (@OneJoblessBoy) July 15, 2025
Speaking on the Echo Podcast, the 2019 AFCON Golden Boot winner revealed he went to China for the money since he had already accomplished his dream of playing in the English Premier League.
“I was 27 at the time. I’d fulfilled my personal dream of playing in the English Premier League. When I was growing up in Ajegunle, I didn’t even know I’d get to the level I got to.
“I just wanted to make a few bucks to change my family and make them proud, alongside a dream to play in the Premier League because I watched the league a lot. It’s the most viewed in the World.
“Back then, we used to pay to sit at the viewing centre, lapping each other to watch the television.”
“The dream already came true for me, so when the offer from China came, I said it was an opportunity to make money, and I decided to grab it.
“The club already accepted the offer without my consent because it was good money for them. They accepted £20m, because no team would pay that.
“I signed a four-year contract with Changchun Yatai, but I played two years there before moving to Shanghai Shenhua, with even more money because I did so well, scoring 36 goals in 53 or 54 games for the initial two years.
“I played one year at Shanghai before going on loan to Manchester United,” the Al-Wehda striker concluded.
Ighalo eventually returned to the English Premier League in 2020 when Manchester United came calling. The Red Devils were ravaged by injuries at the time and decided to make a loan move for the Nigerian forward.
Without hesitation, the former Udinese striker jumped at the chance to play for his dream club, scoring five goals in nineteen outings for the Record English Premier League Champions.