Having spent six years at Blackburn before returning to the A-League the midfielder said his January switch to Guangzhou R&F has given much more than he bargained for. 

“It has been brilliant," he told au.fourfourtwo.,com. "I never had the expectation that I would get to play against people like Drogba and Anelka or play with someone like Yakubu.

 “What it has made me realise is that I can cope at this level, before I was thinking to myself am I good enough to get back to Europe again or could I play in a better team in Asia?

"But I feel like now I have proved myself here and in Australia and the way I am, I just want to keep progressing and playing in better and better leagues.”

Griffiths said the unique demands of playing in China, where politics and football seem to go hand in hand, has equipped him to cope with the intense pressure of Europe. 

“It was a real eye opener," he said. "At first I was in contact with the directors of the club almost daily at some points.

"I have never had that before but to be honest I enjoy it. I want there to be some sort of expectation. I want people to rely on me. 

“When we lost a few games in a row you could feel the pressure from the board, we were having meetings everyday and especially the foreign players.”

As well as coping with the huge amount of expectation on him the 24-year-old has also had to adjust to a different role in the team.

Having been used exclusively as a holding midfielder for the Mariners, Griffiths has been thrust into an attacking midfield position. 

He added: “Since I have been in Asia, I have had to remember what it was like to be a kid, picking up the ball and running forward with it and also making creative passes and trying to get shots on target which I have enjoyed doing again.”

The position has not been the only difference to the demands of the A-League with the wishes of the Chinese crowds also proving to be in stark contrast to their Australian counterparts. 

“A really different thing is they scream for both teams," he said. "If we have a chance, they scream and if they have a chance they scream, they just want to see goals and they just want to be entertained. 

“If you do a bicycle kick in your own half and it goes to no one they are just happy to see it because you tried a bicycle kick.”

Whilst happy to entertain the fans in China, Griffiths said he hoped to grab the attention of Socceroos boss Holger Osieck. 

With the Socceroos World Cup qualifying campaign hitting rough water, the former North Queensland Fury player said he hoped he was still in contention for a call up - and not out of sight and out of mind.

He added: “I hope that Holger and the FFA recognise that Chinese football is definitely getting better and is competing quite strongly in the Asian Champions League at the moment.”

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