10 great players who we can’t believe spent their prime outside of Europe

Players-who-peaked-outside-Europe

While the majority of top players spend their peak years playing in one of Europe’s top leagues, there are some exceptions to this rule.

Whether it’s down to money or having the desire to play elsewhere, there are several reasons why a player might spend their prime away from Europe.

We’ve taken a closer look at 10 players from the modern era who spent their prime years playing outside of Europe.

Oscar

The most obvious example of this is Oscar who has been playing in China since 2017.

Jose Mourinho once described the Brazilian as Chelsea’s ‘best player’ and despite being a fan favourite at Stamford Bridge, the financial lure of China was simply too good to refuse.

He was just 25 years old when he made the switch to Shanghai Port and now aged 32, he’s still playing in the Chinese Super League to this day.

Reportedly earning more than £500,000 per week, it’s no wonder he’s been in no rush to leave.

Talisca

The Brazilian playmaker has only spent a handful of years playing in Europe and since 2018, he’s been doing the business in Asia.

He spent three years in the Chinese Super League playing for Guangzhou Evergrande and now plays for Saudi outfit Al Nassr alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.

Andre-Pierre Gignac

Alright, Gignac did spend the first 11 years of his career in Europe, but he left the continent on the back of his best-scoring season with Marseille to join Tigres UANL in 2015.

Being just 29 years old when he switched from Ligue 1 to Liga MX, this transfer got people talking at the time.

Now aged 38, he’s still playing in Mexico to this day, having scored a whopping 214 goals for Tigres over the last 10 seasons.

Landon Donovan

Regarded as one of the greatest players in United States history, Donovan spent his peak years playing for LA Galaxy in his native country.

He did briefly feature in Europe for the likes of Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich and Everton, but it’s safe to say that he spent his best years in the United States.

Gabri Veiga

Of the players who moved to Saudi Arabia last summer, Veiga arguably caused the most waves as he was only 21 years old when he made the switch to Al-Ahli.

Despite the likes of Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea being interested, the Spanish playmaker instead moved to the Saudi Pro League.

Toni Kroos described the transfer as ’embarrassing’ as he clearly wasn’t a fan of young players making the move to the Middle East.

With Veiga’s contract with Al-Ahli valid until 2026, he’ll likely spend the foreseeable future playing outside of Europe.

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Sebastian Giovinco

The skilful Italian forward left Europe behind when he was 27 and enjoyed the best years of his career playing in MLS for Toronto.

He also enjoyed a short stint in Saudi Arabia with Al-Hilal before he then ended his career with Sampdoria back in Italy.

We could watch his MLS compilations all day long.

Juan Roman Riquelme

While Barcelona and Villarreal fans got to see some glimpses of quality from Riquelme, there can be no denying that he enjoyed his peak years playing in Argentina.

Regarded as one of Boca Juniors’ best players of all time, the attacking midfielder was a sight to behold during his prime.

READ: An ode to Juan Roman Riquelme, one of football’s most pure No.10s

Ruben Neves

Unlike the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema who moved to Saudi Arabia in the twilight years of their career, Neves moved to the Saudi Pro League while his career in England was blossoming.

The 27-year-old signed a three-year deal with Al-Hilal last summer and doesn’t plan on returning to Europe anytime soon.

Riqui Puig

Once dubbed the ‘next Andres Iniesta’, Puig struggled to establish himself as a regular first-team player for Barcelona.

Despite having options to remain in Europe, the Spanish midfielder instead made the move to MLS in 2022 to join LA Galaxy. Now aged 25, the La Masia graduate is one of the faces of the league.

Matheus Pereira

Following two eye-catching years with West Brom, the sky was the limit for Pereira. However, despite having admirers from around Europe, he left the continent in 2021 and hasn’t returned since.

His stint in Saudi Arabia with Al-Hilal didn’t exactly go to plan and now aged 28, he’s back in Brazil playing for Cruzeiro. We sure would love to see him back in England one day.