Obafemi Martins’ move to the Chinese Super League did not start off the way he, or most, had probably imagined it would. In Shanghai Shenhua’s first eight matches, Martins was exclusively used off the bench — when he was used at all — and had gone scoreless.
But after scoring three goals as a substitute, Martins finally started to get some regular minutes. He’s been on a tear ever since. Martins now has six goals in his past five appearances — all starts — including two goals in back-to-back games. His latest brace came in a 3-2 loss in the Chinese domestic cup.