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PARIS, FRANCE – MAY 18: Zlatan Ibrahimovic looks on after the Ligue 1 match between Paris Saint-Germain FC and Stade Brestois 29 at Parc des Princes on May 18, 2013 in Paris, France. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
We live in the era of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, however one other player that comes to my mind who comes close to the two aforementioned footballing greats is Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The outspoken thirty-two year old Swedish forward is no doubt a genius on the football field; however his daunting personality has harmed his popularity ratings. He is an enigma to the fans, who either love him or just love to hate him. I consider him to be one of the most creative footballers of all time. When you watch him play, you’re watching someone who goes out on the field to enjoy the game. It’s as though you’re watching freestyle football or simply put, in the words of Ibra: “Zlatan-style” football.
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Zlatan was born in Sweden to immigrant parents, a Bosnian father and a Croatian mother. He grew up in Rosengård, a rough and tough neighborhood in Malmö. Growing up was tough for him since his parents were marginalized immigrants who did their best to give their children a normal upbringing. As a kid he started playing for the club FBK Balkan, a club in which the majority of the players were immigrants from different countries. According to his brother, Zlatan was different from other kids since he wasn’t interested in partying in the evenings, and used to practice football instead, in fact he took his football with him wherever he went. Zlatan was close to quitting football at the tender age of 15 when he had an option of working in docks of Malmö, but his manager at Malmo FF encouraged him to play on. Play on he did and now, Zlatan is considered one of the best strikers in the world of football.
His career has been a topsy-turvy journey to the top. No wonder he impressed everyone with his footballing talent, but his tough personality and low temper soon got him the bad boy image in Europe. His violent approach to conflict resolution often involved kicking his adversary. Not surprising since he has an honorary black belt in taekwondo. Kicking seems to be his instinctive response, and maybe that is what makes him a great striker. However at times he has gone overboard, trying to express his emotions through kicks. Here is a nice compilation:
No wonder fans consider him a flawed genius. It is evident that the environment he grew up in has shaped his tough character. His memoir “I am Zlatan Ibrahimovic” is a tell-all book which should help his haters change their perspective on him. The simple fact about him is that he will never change. He’ll always remain a rough, self-confident, bad tempered, crazy football genius.
Although he expresses self-confidence when he speaks, he often ends up sounding funny. It seems like he has a weird sense of humor. To list some outrageous quotes attributed to him:
When Arsene Wenger asked Zlatan to play a trial game before signing him up to play for Arsenal:The twenty year old Zlatan replied, “Zlatan doesn’t do auditions.”
On his form during 2011-2012 season:“I think this is the best season of my career; I think my league form has been more than perfect!”
On his rivalry with Norweigian striker John Carew:“What Carew does with a football, I can do with an orange.”
Zlatan when asked about his move to PSG:“It’s true I don’t know that much about the players here in Ligue 1, but they definitely know who I am.”
The Zlatanisms list goes on…
His personality aside, I consider him a colossal footballing talent. He is unique because for a player that tall, he is extremely agile and acrobatic. Overall he has a brilliant physique of an athlete. He is one of the most complete strikers I’ve ever seen – A perfect mix of technique, imagination and power. He got the creativity and imagination as a kid playing football in a constrained space where improvisation was vital. Playing for Ajax (2001, 02, 03, 04) in the Dutch league improved his technique. His physical endurance was the best fit for Italian league where he played for Juventus (2004, 05), Internazionale (2006, 07, 08) and AC Milan (2010, 11).
His stint with Barcelona (2009, 10) was a disaster where he had fallout with the coach Pep Guardiola. It was a fight between Messi and Zlatan to play the role of the main forward — the two most naturally gifted strikers in the world at that point in time – and Pep Guardiola preferred Messi. Zlatan was relegated to playing the supporting role which made him come up with another gem: “you bought a Ferrari but drive it like a Fiat”. He was loaned to AC Milan for the 2010 season.
Zlatan Vs Messi Vs Ronaldo: A statistical comparison
| League | |||||
Played | Goals | Titles | Played | Goals | Titles | |
Zlatan Ibrahimovic | 406 | 224 | 8* | 98 | 37 | 0 |
Lionel Messi | 256 | 223 | 6 | 81 | 63 | 3 |
Cristiano Ronaldo | 368 | 246 | 4 | 95 | 57 | 1 |
*Doesn’t include two league titles won with Juventus which were eventually stripped off.
Zlatan has won more league titles than Messi and Ronaldo. His attitude problems have seen him switch clubs frequently. His biggest problem has been that he wasn’t the central figure in the clubs he played for. He is now with top French club Paris Saint Germain (PSG) where he has been bestowed with role he likes to play. PSG may not be a club in the ranks of FC Barcelona or Real Madrid, but it is transforming into a giant club.
The biggest complaint from fans against Zlatan is that he has never won the Champions League. He has a great opportunity to prove them wrong this season with PSG sitting pretty at the top of group C. He has been in awesome form this season having scored 7 goals. Will he be able to take PSG all the way to victory in the UEFA Champions League?
International | |||
Played | Goals | Top 3 Finishes | |
Zlatan Ibrahimovic | 94 | 46 | None |
Lionel Messi | 83 | 37 | Olympic Gold 2008, Copa America 2007(2nd) |
Cristiano Ronaldo | 106 | 43 | EURO 2004(2nd), EURO 2012(3rd) |
When it comes to the football’s biggest prize – FIFA World Cup – the trio have been a huge disappointment.
Overall, Zlatan’s goal scoring frequency in comparison to Ronaldo and Messi may look subdued, but what stands out is the kind of goals he scores often. Simply put his best goals are unique and out of the world. Who can forget the sensational goal he scored against England?
My word of caution to the fans, this season: Beware of Zlatan!
Let me wind up with his top 10 goals:
