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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Barney Ronay

Oscar’s Chinese purgatory offers players cautionary tale in Saudi boom era

Kylian Mbappé Chelsea CSL the Premier League Brazil China AlHilal FC Barcelona the Europa League
Oscar has played for Shanghai Port for six years.
Oscar has now played at Chinese side Shanghai Port for six years. Illustration: Matt Johnstone/The Guardian

There was a huge boost this week for Saudi hopes of bringing Kylian Mbappé to the Pro League as news emerged that Mbappé had refused even to meet Al-Hilal officials in Paris.

Hmm. This feels like progress. Hissy fits, power struggles, a high-profile snubbing in a fancy hotel suite. It’s basically like he’s already playing for them. This is a boardroom snubbing that seems to say, hey, I could work with these guys.

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