Barcelona: Midfielder Ibrahim Afellay said he was prepared to fight for his place in the Barcelona team after completing his transfer from PSV Eindhoven on Friday.
Speaking in perfect Spanish to the media, the 24-year-old Dutch international said joining the Spanish league leader was like a dream, adding "when I was a kid, I wanted to play for Barca."
Andoni Zubizarreta, Barcelona's sporting director, said Afellay signed a 4½-year contract and PSV was paid $4 million for the player. The two clubs reached an agreement over the transfer on Nov. 15.
"We have absolutely no plans to sign anybody else during this transfer window," Zubizarreta said.
Afellay is one of a long line of Netherlands players to have joined Barcelona, beginning with Johan Cruyff and including Johan Neeskens, Ronald Koeman, Patrick Kluivert and former coach Frank Rijkaard.
"Players from Holland have always been welcome here," Afellay said. "Players like Cruyff or Kluivert are very well known and they have told me this is the best club in the world."
Afellay acknowledged it will be tough to make his mark within the team.
"That's normal at a club like this where there are so many quality players, but I'll fight for my place," he said. "I don't mind where I play, wherever the boss wants me, I'll do my very best."
Barcelona is two points clear of Real Madrid in the standings, having maintained the advantage it gained with a 5-0 thrashing of Jose Mourinho's Madrid side on Nov. 29.
"I saw it on TV," Afellay said. "The 6-2 (last year at the Santiago Bernabeu) was incredible too. Both games were on a different level and it was like watching football from a different planet."
Afellay can make his Barcelona debut at the Camp Nou on Jan. 2 in a home match against 16th-place Levante.
The midfielder emerged from PSV's youth academy and made his international debut in 2007. He was in the Netherlands squad which reached this year's World Cup final, making three substitute appearances.
Manchester United, Arsenal, Inter Milan and Juventus were also reported to be interested in signing him.
Comments
0 comment