Ibrahimovic arrives at PSG "to win"
"Playing for PSG is an incredible thing. They managed to make the impossible possible," said the Swedish striker, who moved from Milan to Paris Saint-Germain along with Brazilian defender Thiago Silva.
FIFA - Paris Saint-Germain presented one of its main signings for the upcoming season on Wednesday morning. With the pomp of an international star, the Swede Zlatan Ibrahimovic was received at the Parc des Princes, the club's stadium, shortly after passing his medical exams. The striker joins Thiago Silva, who played for Milan and is now also part of the wealthy French club.
The 30-year-old striker signed a three-year contract with PSG after several days of negotiations. In his presentation to the press, the Swede thanked sporting director Leonardo, who led the negotiations, and the club's president, the Qatari Nasser Al Khelaifi.
"Playing for PSG is an incredible thing. They managed to make the impossible possible. I know very well that there's a lot of media buzz around me. But everything is clear in my head: I'm here to win," he said.
To acquire the player from Milan, the Parisian team shelled out around 24 million euros (R$ 60 million), and will pay the star player approximately R$ 30 million per year. Al Khelaifi, who has been in charge of the club since the end of 2011, believes that Ibra is worth every penny.
"We are very proud, happy and excited to welcome Zlatan Ibrahimovic. We are convinced that he will add value to PSG and Ligue 1," he declared.
Always controversial and known for liking to be the center of attention, Ibra has already played for seven clubs and competed in the leagues of Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain, and Italy. Regarding the prospect of playing in the French Championship, he sent a message to his future opponents: "They are players I don't know very well, but they definitely know me," he emphasized.
Paris Saint-Germain's first match in the French Championship is scheduled for August 11th, a Saturday, against Lorient.
Complete list
Still during Ibrahimovic's introductory interview, Brazilian Leonardo commented on the future of the French club. After going shopping, he assured that he sees the squad now prepared and ready for the season. "With Zlatan now, we've finished the transfer market for this year," he guaranteed, putting an end to speculation about names like Kaká and Modric, among others.
Regarding the arrival of the two Milan stars, the director expressed pride in the success of the deal. Leonardo, a former player, director, and coach at the Italian club, spearheaded the transfers. "This isn't a forced sale for Milan. It's the biggest deal, an investment we've made. Something that doesn't happen in four days and can take months."
In this series of high-profile signings, the club spent almost 100 million euros (approximately R$ 249 million). Before the two former Milan players, the Argentine Ezequiel Lavezzi had already arrived for around 30 million euros.
Far from the fight for the French title since 2003-04, Paris Saint-Germain was bought in June 2011 by a Qatari investment group, which began to put substantial amounts of money into the club. It is estimated that around 210 million euros have been invested in signings alone, which already had an impact last year with Javier Pastore, Thiago Motta, Diego Lugano, Alex, among others. The "Sheikh" Nasser Al-Khelaifi, president of PSG, has a project to transform the club into one of the biggest in Europe within five years.
Last year, already under Arab ownership, PSG suffered a humiliating defeat by losing the title to the small club Montpellier, but at least secured a place in the UEFA Champions League, a competition they hadn't participated in since 2005-06.