SIPG start their rebuilding project as Hulk says goodbye

’s project for rebuilding their squad went to the next level on Wednesday as the Brazilian star said farewell to the Chinese club.

"Today is the day to say goodbye to Shanghai SIPG, a team that made me feel at home. In over 4 years, I am very grateful to the fans who welcomed me very well,"

Hulk wrote on social media

.

"To the club and to the players, thank you for sharing so many years of work and dedication. Together we had countless achievements, but we also had moments of overcoming difficulties. We trusted each other with a lot of unity and will to win. My heartfelt thanks to the Shanghai SIPG family."

has been a key player for SIPG in recent seasons since his arrival from Zenit with a $55 million deal in 2016. The Brazilian forward has managed to score 76 goals in 145 matches for his SIPG and won CSL title with the club in 2018. Palmiras has been reportedly interested in signing the 34-year old as he goes into the last years of his career. Hulk’s departure signals the end of the CSL’s big-spending days as the club focuses on introducing talented young players.

"Hulk is the foreign star that stayed at SIPG for the longest time. With honor and an irreproducible high income, he left the club marking an end to the spending spree of Chinese professional soccer," read a commentary by thepaper.cn.

"From 2015, Chinese professional soccer started the big-spending era and now it's about to end. Hulk had been at the forefront of the league during that period, and now that his journey has ended at SIPG, this also symbolizes the end of an era for Chinese soccer."

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