Former Anderlecht midfielder Nii Odartey Lamptey has advised aspiring footballers to look beyond China if they want to start professional careers.

The 45-year old further went on to state that China is the best place to end a career and a place to be when a player is looking at earning as much money as he can before retirement.

“China football is very good. They are not as low as you see it. When you are only skillful and you don’t have pace, you cannot play in China. Until you have those two things, you can’t make it there," he told Nathaniel Attoh on the Joy Sports Link.

"It is a very tough league. If you want to play to the highest level, I wouldn’t advise you to start your professional career in China. You can end your career there but don’t start there. You can make money there.”

Lamptey played for the Chinese side Shandong Luneng from 2001-2002, making 37 league appearances and scoring seven goals.