Ibra/Eto’o Swap – For Love of the Game
Torres for Messi? Pato for Villa? While footy fans spend hours debating superstar transfer swap deals, rarely is one actually pulled off. The most recent player for player swap of any real significance occurred in 2007 and involved Chelsea’s William Gallas plus £5m for Arsenal’s Ashley Cole. Although neither player proved the missing link to their respective new sides…the all-important wage increases helped revive their “love” of the beautiful game.
The Zlatan Ibrahimovic/Samuel Eto’o trade is a completely different animal. Two players at the very top of their game have chosen to swap highly successful clubs for arguably equally ambitious sides. Both national heroes and cornerstones of their teams’ successes, the deal offers both players a change of scenery and hopefully a few more cracks at the coveted Champions League title.
For Inter and Barca, the Ibra/Eto’o deal ends drawn-out discussions to settle their front-lines for the forthcoming season. With the disruptive Eto’o finally off the books at the Camp Nou, Laporta and Guardiola will be hoping Ibrahimovic can fill the void left by the super prolific Cameroonian and bring renewed energy and optimism to the dressing room. Having chased Eto’o since his early days at Chelsea, the Special One hopes it’s a case of ‘better late than never’ with the Cameroonian. Seeing the Champions League winner as the ideal replacement for the departed Swede, Mourinho will be hoping Eto’o’s recent marriage and young family will help deter hangers oners, silence critics and shoot Inter to European glory.
Here’s a breakdown of the players involved:
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Age: 27
International Caps/Goals: 56/21 (Sweden)
Previous Clubs: Inter Milan, Juventus, Ajax, Malmo
Trophies: Ajax – 2 Eredivisie titles; Inter Milan – 3 Serie A titles, 2 Italian Super Cups.
Fun Fact: Attended Taekwondo classes at an early age, a talent credited to his now famous dynamic and acrobatic shooting and passing style.
Zlatan out to silence his critics away from Inter
Samuel Eto’o
Age: 28
International Caps/Goals: 84/39 (Cameroon)
Previous Clubs: Barcelona, Mallorca, Espanyol (loan), Leganes (loan), Real Madrid
Trophies: Barcelona – 3 La Liga titles, 2 Champions League medals, 1 Copa del Rey; Mallorca – 1 Copa del Rey; Real Madrid – 1 Champions League medal; Cameroon – 1 African Nations Cup, 1 Summer Olympics Gold medal.
Fun Fact: The youngest player at the 1998 World Cup when he turned out for Cameroon against Italy at the age of 17 years and 3 months.
Eto'o salutes the end to a successful 5 years at Camp Nou
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