Getty Images PSG purchased Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva from AC Milan for a wicked lot of euro.* The duo will join the French club for the 2012-2013 season. The photo above is not their reaction to the news, although they probably did something similar. Personally, I like to imagine there was more ponytail involved.
(*Actual amount: “€62m transfer free, and in total around €170m overall fee plus contracts etc.”)
Why does this matter, you ask? Because PSG is playing in the United States this summer, first at Yankee Stadium against Chelsea(!) on July 23 and then six days later in D.C. where they will take on Ben Olsen’s gang of need-to-be-worldbeaters.
There’s no news on whether the new signings will join PSG’s Tour du America, especially with a friendly against Barcelona scheduled in Paris for August 4. But Ligue 1 starts on the 11th, so you’d think they would want to get introduced to their teammates and what not sooner rather than later. (The squad takes on CSKA Moscow Sunday in Moscow. Thanks, but nope.)
In case you were wondering, Alexander Pato is totally fine with the defections at his Italian club. Which is maybe absurd, since Milan could be in trouble next year. “Nesta, Thiago Silva, Gattuso, Seedorf, van Bommel, Ibrahimovic, Inzaghi all gone in one summer. No club can absorb that,” tweets James Horncastle. And here’s why they are sellers (via Soccer By Ives).
But who cares about Milan? (Yes, yes, millions. We know.) Let’s get Ibra and Silva to the US!
What’s that? You’d like to see a dramatically produced highlight video of Ibra’s 2012 season? Why so would I. File under: Can be done.
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- d214tx - Jul 12, 2012 at 5:13 PM
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Wow what a team they have now. They have arguably the best cb in world football. Add Javier pastore, lavezzi and now Ibrahimovic
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- mianfr - Jul 12, 2012 at 10:20 PM
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Smart move by PSG and for French soccer in general.
It’ll raise Ligue 1′s profile further and hopefully (for them, anyway) get some extra Champion’s League spots locked down as a longer term goal, with Italy receding due to some bad club accounting, a dearth of incoming homegrown talent, and that whole gambling thing.
And yeah, Paris Saint-Germain should be pretty darn good.
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- dkalev - Jul 13, 2012 at 2:08 PM
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are you an idiot? ibra and Silva are leaving AC Milan, which is playing real Madrid at Yankee stadium a few days later… so either way they would be here… besides all four teams are playing to not get hurt before their respective seasons
