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Lavezzi: I didn't like Ligue 1

Xinhua, March 17, 2016 Adjust font size:

Former Paris Saint-Germain attacking midfielder Ezequiel Lavezzi told French sports daily L'Equipe on Wednesday that he'd lost motivation in Ligue 1 before moving to China.

The 30-year-old joined Heibei Fortune of the Chinese Super League one month ago with a contract reportedly worth 15 million euros per season.

Asked about his time at PSG, Lavezzi said: "It was good, not as good as I was hoping. I never quite managed to be able to give everything that I was capable of. I did not like Ligue 1. I did not find it motivational. That is the truth. But that is not an excuse."

"PSG were so strong compared to the other teams. I really did not enjoy those matches," he said. "Time passed, I lost my motivation and I lost my place. Aside from that, the Champions League was different. There, I was motivated."

"Italy was different," added the former Napoli winger who left the Serie A side for PSG in 2012. "You play eight big matches a season in Italy, in France you play two. That makes a big difference."

More than two weeks ago, French television Canal+ released a video interview during which the Argentine international admitted he's partially allured by the lucrative salary as he departed PSG for Hebei.

When L'Equipe asked whether he ever expected to end up in China, Lavezzi said: "No, never! I thought I would stay in a European championship, and then I took the decision to come here. Football gives me a great chance to help my entire family and the people that surround me. It is truly gratifying that I do not have words to describe the situation."

His contract with PSG was previously signed to run out this summer, meaning the Ligue 1 defending champions would have let him go as a free agent if not selling him the past winter.

Explaining how he chose between Hebei and other Chinese Super League sides that had offered him a job, Lavezzi said: "I had a look on the internet, I learned about the town ... Shanghai and Qinhuangdao are the same."

"The first thing, in this decision, was the financial aspect. They are two years of my life that will go quick and that will be a very good experience," he said. "PSG will be with me for life, but this experience in China too. I need to try to adapt rapidly in order to be settled and to do my work well." Endit