Miralem Pjanic joins Sharjah from Barcelona in UAE Pro League’s biggest coup in years
SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates: Another day, another eye-catching ADNOC Pro League addition. It is not hyperbole, however, to describe Miralem Pjanic’s decision to swap Barcelona for Sharjah as the division’s boldest move in a decade. The cultured Bosnia and Herzegovina midfielder’s switch — on a lucrative two-year contract, with a one-year option to extend — is a statement of intent designed to reverberate far beyond the UAE’s borders. Fabio Cannavaro, Luca Toni and David Trezeguet were the last imports of similar prestige to the four-time Serie A winner. This move is a tier above that of fellow Sharjah recruit Paco Alcacer and champions Al-Ain’s standout pre-season addition, Andriy Yarmolenko. Such is its profile, that football transfer doyen Fabrizio Romano chronicled Pjanic’s journey to feverish reaction on social media. Regulation ADNOC Pro League rumors do not usually register on the unremitting Italian’s radar.
