Former Inter Milan sporting director Marco Branca has revisited one of the most talked-about transfers of the modern era, shedding fresh light on how Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s move to Barcelona in the su...
Former Inter Milan sporting director Marco Branca has revisited one of the most talked-about transfers of the modern era, shedding fresh light on how Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s move to Barcelona in the summer of 2009 finally came together.
Speaking about a deal that promised much but ultimately failed to deliver on the pitch for the Blaugrana, Branca offered crucial insight into the motivations, negotiations and compromises that shaped the transfer.
Notably, Ibrahimovic arrived at Barcelona in 2009 amid huge expectations, joining Pep Guardiola’s side shortly after they had completed a historic treble.
At the time, the move was seen as the final piece of a dominant puzzle. However, despite moments of individual brilliance, the partnership between player and club never truly flourished.
How did it materialise?
Recalling how the idea first gathered momentum, Branca explained that the deal was far from straightforward and took time to materialise.
He emphasised that the driving force behind everything was the Swedish striker himself and his ambitions at that stage of his career.
“It was something that developed very slowly,” he began as quoted by SPORT.
“Zlatan wanted to go to Barcelona, he wanted to play with Messi no matter what and win the Champions League, and that desire is what started it all.”
An interesting tale
Zlatan Ibrahimovic wanted to play alongside Messi. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
That personal motivation proved crucial, as Inter were not actively pushing Ibrahimovic out of the club.
Instead, it was Barcelona who began to explore possibilities as part of their new sporting project under Guardiola.
Branca then provided a revealing anecdote that underlined just how informal and unexpected the first real breakthrough was.
“One day, some people from Barça who were returning from a trip to find a defender for their new sporting project stopped by Milan, called us, invited us to dinner, and began negotiations.”
Those discussions, however, were anything but simple. Several versions of the deal were explored before an agreement was reached.
“Initially, the agreement we reached after many negotiations included Hleb, but the Belarusian refused to come.”
With that option off the table, Barcelona and Inter were forced to restructure the deal, ultimately settling on a blockbuster agreement that involved one of Barça’s most iconic forwards.
Branca confirmed the final terms, stating, “So we closed the deal for Eto’o plus €50 million. It was a deal that suited everyone and that Ibrahimovic wanted to do,” he concluded.
Category: General Sports
