A unique sporting event occurs this evening. Not a one off race between Usain Bolt and Rachel Alexandra; not a fight between Rampage Jackson and Wladimr Klitschko; not even an arm wrestle between Tiger Woods and Rafael Nadal (though I’d like to see all three).
No, I am talking about an interesting fixture in the group stage of the Champions League.
Tonight, Inter, perennial European underachievers since their '60s catenaccio heyday, face Barcelona; reigning Champions and flag-bearers for the ‘beautidful game’. While the match may not have any real meaning in the outcome of their group, as both will be overwhelming favourites to qualify, there are some intriguing sub-plots.
Firstly, the two clubs did some business in the close-season that raised a few eyebrows amongst observers. Barcelona sent Samuel Eto’o and a briefcase containing around €45m to San Siro and received Zlatan Ibrahimovic in return. The deal suggested that the Swede was worth around €70m in the eyes of Pep Guardiola.
On the surface the transaction looks utterly ludicrous. No one has scored more goals in La Liga than Eto’o in the last five years and the Cameroon international has shown himself to be an unselfish worker in Barca’s fluid system, supplementing Henry and Messi and generally making a huge contribution.
Ibrahimovic on the other hand has developed a reputation as the ultimate “YouTube” player in world football. Great in the highlights reels but when performances are needed in big games he is strangely anonymous, despite helping Inter out of the odd hole late in matches.
Digging a bit deeper, you have two personalities known to be ‘difficult’ and two clubs wanting to develop further. From Barcelona’s perspective, the deal looks dramatically one-sided. They have lost their top-scorer, and parted with a huge amount of cash. However, many connected with the club see it as money well spent to take Eto’o off their hands.
He was well known to be egotistical and demanding even if his hard-working role in Guardiola’s system suggested he was willing to commit to the club’s needs. Many supporters had lost patience with his unsettling talk about leaving and refusal to come to an agreement over a contract, and are glad to see him shipped out.
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