Gazza moves to China

Last updated : 27 January 2003 By Martyn Elliott

The club, situated in a desert province of China, is currently bottom of the B-League, but that didn’t stop Gazza claiming: "I've been missing football and this is a great opportunity for me."

Gansu Tianma general manager Zhong Bohong obviously doesn’t realise what he is letting himself in for, commenting: "We picked him because he's a real professional football player.

"He has a good sense of the game. He has good skills and experience, especially in the big matches.

"We think he could play a key role in the team. We'd like him to be the spiritual leader of the team"

Gazza will make around £400,000 from the 12-month deal.