Shanghai Shenhua forward Obafemi Martins disclosed that he is not ready for retirement as his passion for football still remains the same.
The 2003 and 2004 Caf Most Promising Talent of the Year has enjoyed a goal-laden career across top leagues in the world including the English Premier League, Italian Serie A, Major League Soccer.
Notable for his effort that helped Birmingham City lift the English League Cup in 2011, Martins wrote his name into Shanghai Shenhua’s folklore after his goal sealed their fourth Chinese FA Cup title with a 3-3 aggregate win over Shanghai SIPG FC last season.
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And the forward who turns 34 in October has revealed that he is still enjoying his time with the Chinese Super League outfit whom he joined from Seattle Sounders in February 2016.
“Although I’m 33, I feel my physical condition is good. I have been in so many countries and the only thing that never changes is my passion for football,” Martins told the Asian Football Confederation website.
“This is my third season at Shanghai Shenhua and I hope I can help the team get some good results with my efforts.
“I love Shanghai very much. It is an international city and people are friendly. You can find food from all over the world and I have made new friends here. I enjoy my life in Shanghai."
After registering his maiden goal in the AFC Champions League against Sydney FC on February 21, the former Rubin Kazan player expressed satisfaction with his effort and hopes his team can secure a place in the last 16 of the tournament.
“I was very happy to score my first ACL goal on Matchday Two, although it was a pity we didn’t win the match. With better defending I think we could have,” he added.
“It’s very hard to predict this group. As I said before, every opponent is very strong and it may be the toughest group in the competition because we are all quite close to each other.
“Suwon are one of the best teams in the K League and the results of these matches against them might impact if we can get through from the group stage."
Shanghai Shenhua welcome Suwon Samsung Bluewings to the Hongkou Stadium for Tuesday’s AFC Champions League encounter.
