What’s the story?
Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has had a stunning start to his career in England. The enigmatic Swedish striker has been banging in the goals for the Red Devils and has already found the back of the net an incredible 17 times.
There was much fanfare when United managed to sign Zlatan Ibrahimovic for free in the summer. However, many critics had questioned whether the 35-year-old was past his peak. Ibrahimovic with his performances for United has put all those niggling doubts to rest. Speaking to reporters, Ibrahimovic said:
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“I had a fantastic year, I am not complaining. I came to United, my first six months here has been more than amazing. I am super happy and let’s hope we can continue the ride and keep going. I feel good. I don’t know how many years I have left but I am enjoying the football. I came to the Premier League and everyone thought it would not be possible but like always I make them eat their balls.”
In case you didn’t know...
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has had one of his best years in 2016. The Swedish striker scored an incredible 50 goals in the calendar year finishing only one behind the year’s top scorer, Lionel Messi.
In the recent 2-1 victory against Middlesbrough, Ibrahimovic had a goal ruled out for raising his foot to a dangerous height even though replays showed that there was no foul play on Ibrahimovic’s part.
His manager, Mourinho, was pleased with his performance and lamented Zlatan missing out on being the top scorer for this year. He also warned West Ham that Zlatan will be ready and raring to go for United’s first game in 2017.
A happy Mourinho said: “Zlatan’s disappointed because in this moment he should be celebrating being top scorer in 2016. He did it. But he will start on Monday. You can tell [Slaven] Bilic that.”
Heart of the matter
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has always shared a bit of a love-hate relationship with the British media and pundits. While Jose Mourinho has been a vocal admirer of the Swede’s talents, many people felt that the 35-year-old would find it difficult in the Premier League.
The Swedish superstar in his own inimitable style has put all those doubts to rest with his stunning performances this year. He also admitted that he enjoyed proving his critics wrong who got ‘paid to talk shit’
“It gives me a lot of energy, trust me. A lot of energy because they get paid to talk shit and I get paid to play with my feet, that’s how I enjoy it.”
What’s next?
After a tough start, Manchester United, under Jose Mourinho have finally started finding their feet and will be eyeing a sixth consecutive victory when they face West Ham on Monday night.
While Mourinho has hinted that he will start Ibrahimovic again, the Swede himself admitted that it will be tough for him to play 2 games in 48 hours. Speaking to reporters, Zlatan said:
“It’s crazy,” said the centre-forward. “There is no superman, there is no strength that can recover from a game so fast and I cannot do nothing about it. If the coach wants me to play, I will play. But let’s be realistic, from a game you need to recover two or three days.”
Sportskeeda’s take
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has proven time and again that he is a top performer. The Swedish superstar has been successful in whichever league he has played and though doubts were cast on his age and ability to adapt to the Premier League, Zlatan has proven with his performances that he is still one of the top strikers in the world.
Like wine, Zlatan has got better with age and he has definitely made the critics ‘eat their balls’ with his stupendous performances for Manchester United.
