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Ibrahimovic finally signs ‘dream’ contract with Barcelona

Swedish star footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic said he is finally "living a dream" upon signing a five-year contract with Barcelona on Monday.

Ibrahimovic finally signs 'dream' contract with Barcelona

The 27-year-old was transferred from Inter Milan in a deal which will also see Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o move the other way and the Italian side receive €46 million ($65 million) as well as Alexander Hleb on loan.

“It feels like I’m living a dream now,” Ibrahimovic told a news conference.

“It was not easy for me in the last weeks.”

He said he had always insisted that “only one club can buy me and that is Barcelona… My will to come to Barcelona was too big for staying in Inter Milan.”

“It is a big honour. There are many big clubs but there is only one special club,” he said, adding that he hoped to develop his skills playing with such players as Lionel Messi and Xavi Hernandez.

“I come here to bring something new. I’m here to win and I’ll do my best to win,” he said.

Ibrahimovic will on Tuesday undergo an operation on a broken bone in his hand, suffered during a friendly between Inter and Chelsea during the club’s US tour, Barca’s technical director Txiki Begiristain said.

Wearing the “number 9” shirt formerly held by Eto’o, he later received a rapturous welcome before more than 50,000 fans at the Camp Nou stadium.

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has said Ibrahimovic won’t be the club’s last major signing before the end of the transfer window.

And he has warned big-spending rivals Real Madrid that his side won’t give up their reign as European and Spanish champions without a fight.

Real have spent at least €209 million this summer on Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo, Raul Albiol and Karim Benzema during the close season.

Barcelona beat holders Manchester United to win their third Champions League crown in May in Rome. The club also won the domestic league and cup last season, making them the first Spanish team to win the treble.

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RACISM

VIDEO: Spain’s La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

Spain's La Liga on Monday said it was reviewing a video of a child making racist insults towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

VIDEO: Spain's La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

“We’re in the process of studying and analysing the facts from a legal standpoint to see what we can and should do,” La Liga sources said.

In a video published by a journalist for ESPN Brasil, and picked up by Spanish media, a boy sitting in a woman’s lap can be heard calling Vinicius a “monkey”.

The Brazilian scored twice for Madrid as his team recovered from two goals down at Mestalla on Saturday.

Vinicius raised his fist in a “Black Power” salute after the first of his two goals at a ground where he was racially abused last season. Valencia subsequently banned three people from the stadium for life.

The 23-year-old has become a symbol of the fight against discrimination in Spanish football after suffering racist abuse on many occasions, and he was jeered repeatedly by home supporters on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle against Valencia for protesting after the referee blew the final whistle right before the England midfielder headed home what he thought was the winning goal.

READ ALSO: Football star Vinicius highlights racist behaviour from Spanish fans

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