SYDNEY, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Australian premiere football veteran Tim Cahill turned his back on the New York Red Bulls on Tuesday to join Shanghai Shenhua in the Chinese Super League.
The decision came just three days after Australia triumphed in the Asian Cup.
His decision to leave the U.S.' Major League Soccer surprised commenters, but 35-year-old Cahill had recently received offers from England, Asia, the Middle East and Spain before announcing the move to China on Tuesday.
He was in his career best form during the Asian Cup in Australia, arguably scoring the goal of the tournament with a stunning bicycle kick in the quarter final against China.
Cahill told Fox Sports that he had consulted widely with former teammates and coaches in the U.S. before making his decision to side with the Chinese team.
While he had received offers from around the world, there were none from Australia.
He promised to reward Shanghai Shenhua with total commitment.
"I respect Australian football so much (but) I've never have had an official offer in the last two months," he said.
"I'll make an impact in China on the pitch, I promise you.
"When I go somewhere I'll do it properly. I'm at an age where I want to give back to football as well as play at a high level."
Cahill has spent the majority of his career in the English Premiere League with Liverpool club Everton, scoring 68 goals for them in 278 games.
He then joined the New York Red Bulls in 2012 at the age of 32.
Instead of winding down his career there as predicted by football analysts, Cahill again prospered and was named the team's Most Valuable Player in 2013.
Shanghai Shenhua had been linked with Cahill, and the Chinese team has a history of signing big-name veterans, including Premier League stars Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba.