Mousa Dembele has opened up on his move to the Chinese Super League, saying that 'he doesn't regret it for a second'.
The midfielder made the move in January after six-and-a-half years with Tottenham Hotspur.
While the 32-year-old spoke fondly of his move to Guangzhou R&F, he says he received some stick from his teammates after missing out on the chance to feature for Spurs in a Champions League Final.
Speaking to BBC Sport, he said: "When I came to the club they were all laughing.
"But people who know me know I never regret my choices. It's a shame for me but I didn't regret it for one second.
"I was very happy for Tottenham because they deserved it and no-one works harder than them," he said. "As players they are very good guys so you want them to succeed."
"Money is a thing in moving here, of course," said Dembele.
"People who come here earn good money but it depends. If you come here only for the money and you don't enjoy the experience and lock yourself away in your hotel then it's bad.
"If you earn good money and you enjoy the culture then it's a good experience.
"I told the players at Tottenham that in the last few years of my career I wanted to go to a different country. When China came I was happy because it's a big challenge and I wanted to have a culture shock.
"It's very different, including how the people react to you in daily life.
"It depends how you are as a personality. I know a lot of people who come here and think it's rubbish and hate it but if you're open-minded it's very cool.
"It's so funny to think the plane ride is 'only' about 12 hours but it's a different world when you get here - and it's totally different on the pitch as well."
