It’s a dream come true for Holland midfielder Ibrahim Afellay, who was presented to Barcelona fans and media today.

The Dutch playmaker held up the number 20 shirt for the occasion after putting his signature to a four-and-a-half year contract with the Catalan club.

Afellay, 24, is joining Barcelona in the January transfer window from Dutch side PSV Eindhoven for a fee believed to be in the region of three million euros.

The world’s best
As he left Holland earlier this week, he described the cocktail of emotions he felt, saying he was honoured, ecstatic and a tad nervous about the move.

“Ask all the football players where they want to play, I think they are going to say Barcelona,” Afellay told the club’s TV station. “They play the best football in the world and when you can play here that is a very big dream. Besides, Barcelona seldom buy players, so I’m honoured that they’ve picked me.”

The attacking midfielder admitted being slightly overwhelmed by the prospect of joining the Spanish giants.

“It’s normal because you go to the biggest club in the world and the most beautiful club in the world so of course you are a little bit nervous,” he said.

Loyalty and money
Nerves may explain Afellay’s request to be left out of the PSV squad for Wednesday’s Dutch Cup away match against Roda JC Kerkrade, a move that sparked criticism from manager Fred Rutten. His PSV teammates, however, said they understood why Afellay was careful not to take any risks ahead of today’s medical tests at Barcelona.

Likewise, the Dutch press applauded the player’s professional attitude and his loyalty to the Eindhoven club, which he joined seven years ago. After all, his contract with PSV was due to expire at the end of this season. If he had waited another six months, the Dutch club would have missed out on a sizeable transfer fee.

Will he play?
The big question remains whether Afellay will actually play for his new club. Possessing extraordinary talent and technical skill, the PSV captain won’t find it hard to fit in with the fast-paced, precision-passing Barca midfield. Besides, Afellay has the statistics in his favour. He’ll be the 19th Dutch player in history to sign for Barcelona and most of them made it to the first team.

Afellay can play in several positions, but most likely, he’ll be used as a midfield stand-in for either Xavi Hernandez or Andres Iniesta, who’ve both shown signs of fatigue after a very busy year.

Another option is further up front, as a substitute for youngsters Pedro Rodriguez or Bojan Krkic. It’s there that he’d able to slot in beside the virtually unstoppable Lionel Messi and David Villa and show his full potential.

Because if there’s one thing Dutch pundits and punters agree on, it’s that we haven’t seen the best of Afellay yet.