Zenit sign Hulk, Witsel for record €80 mln

Zenit St. Petersburg have been royally reinforced by signing two Portugal top division stars, Porto’s Hulk and Benfica’s Axel Witsel. The deals are an estimated 40 million euro each – an unprecedented sum for a Russian club.
­The two transfers were confirmed late on Monday, causing a stir both in Russia and Portugal.
Hulk and Witsel have signed five-year deals with the Russian football champions and will join the club after returning from their respective national sides.
“We were trying to sign them before the September 3 deadline for the Champions League so they can play for us in that competition as well as the Russian league," Dmitry Tsimmerman, Zenit’s spokesman, told Reuters.
Givanildo Vieira de Souza was nicknamed Hulk by his own father, who was a great fan of the comic character The Incredible Hulk.
The powerful attacker can be very effective playing both on the striker’s position and as winger.

“This is another victory for me, another important step in my life,” Hulk told Zenit’s official website. “But I have to say that I’m grateful to Porto for opening the door to Europe for me.”
“I want to be happy in Zenit and in Russia too. I want to move in the same direction – towards victories and titles, as has happened with Porto,” he added.

During his career, the 26-year-old has scored 70 goals for Japanese sides Kawasaki Frontale, Consadole Sapporo and Tokyo Verdy, and added 54 more with Porto, which he joined back in 2008.
His four-year stay in Portugal – where he won 10 major titles, including three domestic championships and the Europa League, and was named Player of the Year in the last two seasons – has made him global star.
Hulk is now seen as one of the main attacking forces in the Brazilian national team, for which he has so far scored three goals in 13 appearances.
He was also on his country’s squad at the 2012 Summer Olympics as an over-aged player, helping his team take silver in London.
Zenit had to beat strong opposition to add the player to their roster, as English powerhouse Chelsea were also interested in his services.
It’s also reported that not a single penny from the St. Petersburgers’ main sponsor, Gazprom, was spent on Hulk’s transfer, with the club finding other sources to finance the deal.
Meanwhile, Zenit’s website crashed right after the signing was announced, with over 200.000 visitors simultaneously clicking the page.
The other megabucks signing, Axel Witsel, is regarded as one of the most talented young players in Belgium.
The 23-year-old has won two home league titles with Standard Liege before moving to Benfica at the start of the 2011/12 season.
The creative midfielder already has 30 caps and five goals for the Belgian national squad.
Witsel has made a strong impression on Zenit’s staff in this year’s Champions League where the St. Pete side were eliminated by Benfica in the playoffs.
Russia’s richest club, Anzhi Makhachkala, were also negotiating the Belgian’s transfer, but were only willing to fork out 35 million euro, which didn’t satisfy his club.
The two signings have significantly boosted Zenit’s chances of defending their Russian Premier League title and becoming a force to be reckoned with in Europe.
The St. Pete side are drawn against AC Milan, Belgium’s Anderlecht and Malaga from the Spanish La Liga in the UEFA Champions League.
­Zenit’s super-expensive purchases means movements on the list of the Top 10 summer transfers, which looked as follows before Hulk and Witsel deals were announced.