Inter Milan then went on an all-out spree.
They signed Vieira—starting Defensive Midfielder for both Juventus and the French national team—for €9.5 million.
They brought in Grosso for €5.5 million.
They added Maicon for €6.5 million.
In total, they spent €50 million to bring in six major foreign signings: Ibrahimović, Grosso, Maicon, Crespo, Dacourt, and Maxwell.
Calling it "reinforcement" didn't even do it justice—they practically rebuilt the entire squad.
In previous years, assembling a lineup like this would've cost Inter another €20–30 million.
Inter owner Massimo Moratti was finally proud. After so many years of losing money, this transfer window was the first time he could really hold his head high—no more getting ripped off.
Moratti stated, "Su Hang is certainly exceptional, but Ibrahimović isn't far behind. He just lacked the right platform to fully unleash himself, and Inter will give him that."
"Just like Ronaldo's fame exploded during his time here."
"For €50 million, I've bought half a team that will push us forward. Spending €60 million on Su Hang wouldn't deliver the same impact."
He didn't mean to tear Su Hang down, but it definitely came across that way.
Our boss was not pleased.
The London Globe: "€50 million can buy half of Inter Milan, but it won't buy you a Champions League trophy!"
Clara's Column: "Since Real Madrid brought in Su Hang, they've won two Supercopa de España, two Copa del Rey titles, two La Liga championships, and one Champions League trophy—seven titles total!"
"That's an average of 2.3 trophies per year! That's more than Inter Milan have won in the past three years combined—because they won nothing in those three years!"
Moratti instantly fell into despair.
But that gave him an idea.
Since Juventus' title from last season had been revoked, and AC Milan—who finished ahead of Inter—were docked points…
Inter now had the highest point total.
Which meant the championship should go to…
Inter immediately filed an application with the Italian Football Federation, requesting the league title from last season.
After brief deliberation, the FIGC approved it.
And so, Massimo Moratti finally earned his first league title since taking over Inter Milan.
A long-awaited reward for his persistence.
It was only after Inter went through so much trouble to secure this title that people truly realized Su Hang's value.
Inter spent three years preparing for a single defining moment.
Su Hang, in those same three years, delivered blow after blow—seven decisive strikes that shook all of Europe.
Tsk, tsk…
Compared to Inter, their city rivals AC Milan had it much worse—though still not as disastrous as Juventus.
AC Milan's star forward Shevchenko transferred to Chelsea for €50 million.
It was the first blockbuster signing of the window. With Su Hang staying at Real Madrid, Shevchenko was set to become the most expensive transfer of the summer.
In truth, AC Milan had hoped to get more.
But after Chelsea offered Real Madrid an astronomical €63 million for Su Hang, Milan got greedy and demanded a comparable bid for Shevchenko.
Abramovich was indeed considering raising the offer, but Mourinho couldn't accept it and strongly opposed the transfer.
Shevchenko didn't fit Mourinho's tactical system to begin with, and at such a high price, Mourinho would have no choice but to use him.
But Abramovich wanted his countryman—he didn't care if the player fit, only how expensive he was. It wasn't Mourinho's money, so why was he complaining?
Mourinho had never found a perfect moment to refuse the deal… until Milan made their demand, giving him the excuse he needed.
When AC Milan learned of Mourinho's stance, they reconsidered their own situation and knew they couldn't afford to pass on this cash-out opportunity.
So they settled on the original €50 million.
The deal went through—much to Mourinho's despair.
AC Milan also let veteran Rui Costa return to Benfica on a free transfer.
They sent veteran Stam back to Ajax for just €3 million.
And instead of signing new, younger stars… they targeted aging ones.
For example: Ronaldo, who had just announced he would undergo surgery.
His decision to have surgery—and to play in the World Cup while injured—enraged Calderón and new manager Capello. Capello even stated outright that Ronaldo would not have a major role next season.
They were clearly preparing to phase him out.
In fact, this "cost-effective" practice of piling up veteran players was later repeated by Juventus, Manchester United, and Bayern Munich.
If mishandled, it can easily lead to the team collapsing within a few years.
A short-sighted strategy.
And if a club also keeps selling its prime players during this period… the decline comes even faster.
...
In the Premier League, Chelsea continued their spending frenzy.
Not only did they secure Shevchenko, but they also quietly poached top midfielder Ballack from Bayern Munich.
Since late last year, Ballack's contract renewal saga had captured global attention. Rumors even claimed Real Madrid were interested.
But Chelsea offered Ballack an irresistible salary and an enormous signing bonus.
Aiming for the Champions League—and wanting to erase his reputation as the Runner-Up King—Ballack joined Chelsea despite the backlash.
To ensure Ballack could wear the number 13 jersey he wanted, Mourinho informed Gallas—the player who originally wore that number—that he could no longer use it… yes, that French Leo defender.
Mourinho then handed the number 13 shirt to Ballack.
Gallas felt insulted.
At the same time, Ashley Cole—one of the best Left Backs in the world—had fallen out with Arsenal over salary demands during contract talks.
Chelsea had secretly approached Cole mid-season. When Arsenal discovered this, they reported Chelsea to the FA.
Chelsea had originally offered Cole £90,000 per week.
In later talks with Arsenal, Cole said he would stay for £60,000.
Arsenal first offered £50,000, then reluctantly increased it.
But on the very day Cole was driving to finalize the extension, Arsenal suddenly called and told him they would only pay £55,000.
Cole was done. He made up his mind to leave as soon as the season ended.
With neither club able to keep their player, they negotiated a swap: Ashley Cole in exchange for William Gallas plus €7.4 million.
On paper, it should've been a win-win deal.
And to be fair, both players performed well after switching clubs.
Gallas even wore Arsenal's number 10 shirt and captained the team—one of the rare number 10 defenders in football history.
But the details revealed just how poorly Arsenal handled it.
Chelsea's initial offer for Ashley Cole had been £30 million—about €45 million.
That was absolutely a premium price.
Back then, defenders weren't considered particularly valuable, and fullbacks even less so.
Going from €45 million to €7.4 million meant Arsenal effectively spent €38 million to acquire Gallas.
They managed to lose all the profit they could've made on Ashley Cole… and poured it straight into Gallas.
Gallas was indeed an excellent, versatile center-back.
But forget €38 million—he wouldn't even fetch €30 million.
After all, he was already 29, at the tail end of his prime.
...
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