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FOOTBALL

Zlatan’s enormous pay rise will make you cry

Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been handed a 700,000 euros ($760,000) monthly pay rise by Paris Saint-Germain, making him by far France's highest-paid footballer.

Zlatan's enormous pay rise will make you cry
Swedish footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Photo: AP Photo/Michel Euler

The 34-year-old Swede, who joined the club in 2012 from AC Milan and has scored 127 goals in 156 games since then, now gets €1.5 million a month before tax under the performance-based hike agreed late last year.

On top of that, Ibrahimovic can pocket three big bonus payments for winning the French league title and ending the season with the top combined total of goals scored and goal assists.

With PSG currently 21 points clear of second-placed Monaco in the league, the first of those targets is all but certain. Paris go up against Chelsea in the last 16 of the Champions League next month.

French newspaper Le Parisien, which broke the story, added however that there was no word on whether Ibrahimovic would stay in Paris after his current contract expires at the end of the season.

He is on record as saying he has no intention of leaving, claiming he has “a beautiful relationship with PSG”.

Ibrahimovic will also be playing in France during the summer as Sweden contest the Euro 2016 finals.

Asked in December if he would extend his international career beyond next summer, Ibrahimovic said: “When it comes to the national team, I have the Europeans. I am happy we have reached the European Championships and I will be playing and I will enjoy it.”

“What happens after, I don't know. If I will be playing the qualification for Russia, I don't know. That is too far, too soon to answer.”

Sweden has been drawn in a tough group for Euro 2016 in France in June next year, comprised of Italy, Belgium and the Republic of Ireland.

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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