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Swedish Soccer Star Zlatan Ibrahimovic Signs with French Team
Fitzgerald Cecilio
Paris, France
French club Paris Saint-Germain made the biggest deal in club's history by signing Swedish soccer star Zlatan Ibrahimovic to a three-year deal worth $17 million a year.
With Ibrahimovic in tow, PSG has now turned into a "dream team" with the recent acquisition of Ibrahimovic's former Milan teammate Thiago Silva and Napoli's Ezequiel Lavezzi this preseason.
"I come to a dream team and the dream team will continue to grow," said Ibrahimovic, whose new deal will earn him $2.5 million higher than what he received with Milan.
"They will do everything to win and I want to be part of that. I'm going to be playing with the best players in the world. They've also bought the best defender in the world, Thiago Silva, and as long as I have him behind me I don't need to look back," Ibrahimovic added.
PSG has paid Milan a reported $25 million for Ibrahimovic, bringing its summer spending on new players to an estimated $137 million.
The 30-year-old Ibrahimovic, who had a contract with Milan until June 2015, was Serie A's top scorer last season, netting 28 goals as the team finished runner-up to Juventus.
"PSG never had a superstar," Qatari businessman and main PSG shareholder Nasser al Khelaifi said in presenting Ibrahimovic to the press. "Now, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, PSG has a superstar."
Ibrahimovic's acquisition was a fulfillment of al Khelaifi's promise that he will transform the perennially under-performing, crisis-prone club into a European football force.
Immediately after his Qatar Investment Authority took a 70 percent stake in PSG in 2011, al Khelaifi expressed willingness to dig deep in his pockets to turn PSG around.
Among his first moves was to persuade former Brazilian great Leonardo to run the team then they went to work buying players from more powerful teams and leagues, including Brazilian defender Alex from Chelsea, Pastore from Palermo, Silva and Motta from the rival Milan clubs.
To shape all that talent, PSG enticed former Juventus and Chelsea coach, Carlo Ancelotti, to come aboard.
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