No one can blame Juventus for selling Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the summer of 2006. They had just been demoted, they needed to reduce their huge salary costs and the player had made it clear that he wanted out after refusing to appear in a pre-season friendly. Yet handing over the Swede to a Serie A opponent in the form of Inter was a mistake which may not only cost them dearly at the weekend, but for some years to come.
Ibrahimovic is one of the most in-form players in the European game right now. Already one of the main protagonists in the Nerazzurri’s title stroll last term, he’s started this campaign in a similar fashion. If the injury-hit Milanese outfit are again at the top of the standings then they inevitably owe that to the performances of their Golden Ball winner in the making.
Of course, Ibrahimovic’s presence in the peninsula is fantastic for lovers of calcio, but his transfer to the blue and black side of the San Siro undoubtedly haunts the Old Lady and her followers. Luciano Moggi, for all his faults, would never have sold a player of Ibra’s calibre to a direct title rival for a fee of just £16.7m. His priority would have been to sell him to a foreign club like Real Madrid or Manchester United. He would probably have also commanded a bigger fee.
Juve’s error in accepting Inter’s offer, after also holding extensive talks with Milan, was born out of inexperience. Alessio Secco had just been promoted to sporting director, while new director general Jean-Claude Blanc and President Giovanni Cobolli Gigli had been thrown into a crisis of titanic proportions after the Calciopoli verdicts.
Nevertheless, the Ibra misjudgement is just one of a number of questionable decisions which Secco and Co have made since Moggi and close colleague Antonio Giraudo were shamed out of the game. Although they must be applauded in managing to convince the likes of Gigi Buffon, Pavel Nedved and David Trezeguet to sign new deals, they arguably flopped in the summer market seeing as only Vincenzo Iaquinta and Antonio Nocerino have made any substantial impact so far.
Adrian Mutu, also sold by Juventus in 2006 to Fiorentina, has already made an impression against his former club this season when he grabbed a late penalty in the Week 7 1-1 draw at the Franchi. Few would be surprised if Ibrahimovic also found his name on the score-sheet this Sunday night in Turin. It’s a scenario that Juve shouldn’t be facing.