Ibrahimovic's Inter exit triggers mixed opinions

The world's economic climate is very gloomy, to say the least. However, the financial downturn did not stop Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona from spending millions of euros to bolster their already-strong squads for next season.

Real have prised Cristiano Ronaldo away from Manchester United and Brazilian stalwart Kaka away from Milan and on Monday, European champions Barcelona swapped Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o for Inter talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic in a player-plus-cash deal.

Milan, in the words of club owner and Italy Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, will look to Brazilian forward Ronaldinho for inspiration as the 2005 Golden Ball winner hopes to bounce back after a disappointing first season in the Serie A.

The same cannot be said of Inter who have parted ways with an unhappy, albeit very important player in Ibrahimovic but still managed to sign a potentially suitable replacement in Eto'o and also boosted their coffers by €40m, if reports in Italy are to be believed.

By the look of it, it seems that Inter have really struck a good deal because Eto'o is no novice to top-level football and, unlike Ibrahimovic, the ex-Real Madrid hit-man has always delivered on the big occasions.

Suffice to say that the Cameroon international has scored in two Champions League finals for Barcelona, against Arsenal in 2006 and against Manchester United last May.

Eto'o and Ibrahimovic were both born in 1981 and it has to be assumed that the €40 million difference in the valuation of the two strikers is down to the appreciation of their technical qualities. Only time will tell who, between Inter and Barcelona, made the best deal.

However, one thing is certain. Inter could not keep Ibrahimovic against his will. As for Eto'o, reports suggested that he was not on good terms with Pep Guardiola. This was perhaps reflected in the Barca coach's insistence that the club extended Eto'o's holidays by a week to make sure that the striker didn't start pre-season training with Barcelona this summer.

In recent months, Ibrahimovic was repeatedly quoted as saying that he relished the opportunity to win the Champions League. Ironically, in Europe's premier club competition, Ibrahimovic, despite being the highest paid player in the Serie A, seldom made the desired impact.

Take last season as an example. The Swedish international managed to score only one goal in eight Champions League appearances (vs Werder Bremen). In the Serie A, Ibrahimovic finished as top scorer with 25 goals last season to help Inter retain the title (and earned a hefty bonus from the club) but did little to help his side avoid another early exit in the Champions League.

There are no two ways about it. If Ibrahimovic is worth all that money (Eto'o plus €40 million), not to mention his reportedly €12 million yearly salary from Inter, he should have done more to help Inter end their 44-year wait to lift the European Cup during his three-year stint with the club.

In his first press conference of the 2009/10 season some weeks ago, Inter coach Jose Mourinho declared that there are only three to four European teams better equipped than Inter to win the 2010 Champions League.

Since then, Inter's oil-rich president Massimo Moratti has signed Brazilian captain Lucio from Bayern Munich and Eto'o and offloaded Ibrahimovic.

Will these moves be enough to see Inter compete with the best of the class, namely Manchester United, Real Madrid and Barcelona?