Hulk: I joined Zenit for money

Brazil star Hulk has revealed money was a significant factor in his move to Zenit St Petersburg.

The 26-year-old surprised the football world in September by signing for the wealthy Russian outfit and he admitted he was swayed by the financial terms on offer.

Speaking to Euronews, the forward said: “I will not lie, people know I’m a footballer and I had to seize the moment with Zenit’s financial offer.

“I wanted a new goal to achieve and it had to be in a different league having already won everything in Portugal. I received various proposals from clubs in England, Italy and Spain but we never reached an agreement.”

The former Porto star also added that he felt disrespected by his Zenit team-mates who were behaving under the assumption the Brazilian was arriving with an ego.

“There are some players who lacked respect for me. There were some things said in public that should not have been said, not in interviews,” Hulk continued.

“The other players started to judge me without even knowing me. They thought I wanted to be the star of the team. But I do not want to be the star. I’m here to help and be helped and I’m sure it will happen.”