Anzhi Makhachkala—but what name do they have?
If there’s a non-top flight club in Europe that can pay €20M per year for a player, it has to be Russia’s Anzhi Makhachkala. Their name is certainly not known by the average football fan around the world.
But today, they are making loud noise on the transfer market. Rangers supporters, however, can remember Anzhi as the team they defeated during the 2001/02 UEFA Cup on neutral ground as ordained by UEFA.
Well, Anzhi Makhachkala aren’t heavyweights in Russia’s Premier League but they could be seen as the country’s version of England’s Manchester City. In January this year, Anzhi was bought by Suleyman Kerimov, a billionaire businessman and investor whose mission is to revolutionize the club.
So far, so good. Possibly, Anzhi Makhachkala will have to sweat too much before even reaching Zenit Saint Petersburg’s status on the domestic and European fronts. But Suleyman Kerimov’s money could take charge of most of Anzhi’s efforts to reach higher standards sooner rather than later.
Money creates surprises!
The club can now boast of having one of the world’s best goal scorers in the form of Samuel Eto’o as Bloomberg reported through the statement of Internazionale’s Marco Branca. Ironically, Anzhi Makhachkala’s name surely entered no-one’s minds in the past when Eto’o’s future was being discussed between fans and pundits.
Today, the reality reveals otherwise. Samuel Eto’o is an Anzhi player and Inter have received €35M in exchange for releasing their star striker. But the biggest news is not about the Cameroonian’s transfer fee.
It’s about his annual salary and his idea behind his decision to join such a club! Samuel Eto’o’s 4-year-contract with the Russians will see him earning as much as €20M (£17.6 or roughly $28.5) each year. This mega-deal also means that the Cameroonian superstar striker will earn a record $485,000-a-week salary. So here’s the new job for Eto’o whose Champions League days are surely over: .jpg)
The forward could use his skills to impress Russian fans by scoring goals for fun week in week out. In addition, he will have the chance to laugh all the way to the bank every week and contribute in the development of the Russian Premier League before retiring with a smile on his face.
Debate on the topic, share your views below:
Inevitably and subsequent to Samuel Eto’o’s transfer from Internazionale to Anzhi Makhachkala, the issue of player commitment vs money is making rounds in football forums. Are footballers nowadays too motivated by money rather than by the passion for the game?
Do you support Samuel Eto’o’s decision to quit a historical club like Inter to join a club like Anzhi which was only created in 1991? Was it wise or corrupt for a player like Eto’o—who is in his thirties—to accept such a deal?
Share your views in numbers by commentating on this transfer issue involving Italy’s Inter, Russia’s Anzhi Makhachkala and Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o.
