When the transfer window opens twice a year, the football world goes crazy as players change clubs, newspapers and football websites all over the world speculating on the latest stars playing the game of musical chairs.
While some big-name transfers such as Cristiano Ronaldo’s move from Manchester United to Real Madrid have finally reached their expected conclusions, this season one transfer caught my eye. Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s move from Italian champions Inter Milan to Spanish and Champions League champions Barcelona, with Samuel Eto’o heading in the opposite direction.
Now, Ibrahimovic is not a bad player and in his day he can be one of the best players on the planet. But it fails to live up to its massive hype in my opinion. Who can forget the two Champions League matches against Manchester United last season where he was almost anonymous?
On the other hand, Samuel Eto’o has proven himself to be one of the deadliest strikers in the world. Only 28 years old, he has his best years ahead of him and, unlike Ibrahimovic, does not choke on the big stage. Don’t forget that it was his goal in the Champions League final last season that propelled Barcelona to victory.
On top of the player exchange, Inter Milan also received a transfer fee of €45 million. I have no idea how to do it, but Inter coach Jose Mourinho would certainly have negotiated the best deal of the season. Or does Barcelona know something we don’t? Only time will tell.