During a three-month stint in the Chinese Super League with Tianjin Teda, Mark Bridge experienced a different side of football.

The Sydney FC man says that players in China are told what to and when to do it and opinions fall by the wayside.

"[I was] thinking that we get treated badly here and then you go over there and see they're treated, I hate to say it, like animals. They're treated so badly," Bridge said.

"[Players] have got no lives, they're not allowed to think for themselves. If they have an opinion on training or say, 'Can we do this coach?' … it's see you later. They've still got that communist, 'We own you' sort of thing.

"You come back here and you've got everything from protein shakes to good coaching staff and everything's laid out for you. Here's it's just a matter of self-motivation."