SHANGHAI: Brazilian international midfielder Oscar was cheered by supporters of his new Shanghai club on Monday where some media reports said he would earn nearly $500,000 a week, making him the highest-paid player in the world.

Financial details of Oscar’s transfer to Shanghai SIPG from English Premier League club Chelsea have not been released, but media reports have suggested Shanghai paid 60 million euros ($62.6 million) to lure the 25-year-old to the Chinese super league club.

Fans wearing the team’s red and white colours shouted “Oscar, Oscar!” when the Brazilian arrived at Shanghai’s international airport on Monday. He stopped to sign autographs before being led away by team officials.

“I think it will definitely enhance the team’s capabilities,” Shao Lei, a 30-year-old SIPG supporter, said of the latest Brazilian to sign with the Shanghai club.

“Our goal is to strive for the championship, nothing else,” he told Reuters Television.

The figures cited in British media reports would make Oscar the world’s highest paid player at about 400,000 pounds a week ($490,760).

Published in Dawn, January 3rd, 2017