Carlos Tevez, Shanghai Resident For Two Months, Hasn't Tried Chinese Food Yet

The Chinese Super League season is underway! Let’s check in on Argentine soccer icon Carlos Tevez, who signed with Shanghai Shenhua for piles of money in December.

In February, Tevez had a lackluster outing in Shanghai’s 2-0 loss to the Brisbane Roar in the Asian Champions League playoffs. But in last week’s CSL debut, he scored a penalty in Shanghai’s 4-0 win over Jiangsu Suning smiles all around. On the field, Tevez has had a solid if not brilliant start. And how’s he doing off the field?

Here’s what Shanghai Shenhua manager Gustavo Poyet told Argentine newspaper Ole:

“He doesn’t speak a word of Chinese. Same as me, he can’t speak Chinese and he needs a translator all the time or he won’t be able to communicate with others. And it’s difficult because sometimes the translator doesn’t communicate the message how he wants. Fortunately he can speak a little Italian and English.”

Okay, that’s normal. Learning a new language at 33 is difficult for anyone.

“The main problems for Tevez is language and food [...] Carlos doesn’t eat anything. Last week, he had a BBQ with [Colombian teammates Fredy] Guarin and [Giovanni] Moreno. Except that, he hasn’t tried any Chinese food yet. He needs a lot of time to get used to Chinese food.”

Hm, less normal, but hey, he’s not the only elite male athlete who’s particular about his food.

[ ESPN FC]