How Zlatan Ibrahimovic has made the MLS his own

It is the 23rd March 2018. You are walking the streets of Los Angeles, and pick up a copy of the LA Times. Scanning through the sports pages, you flick to the back where an advert catches your eye.

It's an advert of audacity. An advert of hubris. An advert penned by one Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Ahead of his transfer to LA Galaxy in USA's Major League Soccer, the sensational Swede took out a page in the publication which read, 'Dear Los Angeles, you're welcome'.

It's the kind of statement that, from any other player, would have been met with criticism and ridicule. But Ibrahimovic's arrogance is more than justified.

Having made the switch across the Atlantic from Manchester United in March, the forward took the USA's top flight by storm.

With 22 goals and 10 assists in 27 appearances, Ibrahimovic put together one of the best MLS debut campaigns in recent memory. He was duly named 'Newcomer of the Year', an accolade that was fully justified.

Rumours have suggested he has agreed a return to AC Milan, but his performances in this calendar year mean he will go down as one of the greatest players to have ever graced Major League Soccer.

An Ibra introduction

Perhaps it is no surprise that a player with tenures at Barcelona, Inter Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United took to the MLS with such ease. But even by his own formidable standards, the start that Ibrahimovic made to his LA Galaxy career was something out of the ordinary.

The club had started their new campaign in mediocre fashion with one win, one draw and one defeat. Next up was a match of serious historic proportions.

Los Angeles FC joined the MLS as an expansion side in 2018, meaning the USA's elite footballing division would see the return of an LA-based local derby when they locked horns with the Galaxy in late March.

The stage was set for a fierce contest. It had all the passion and theatrics Major League Soccer is becoming renowned for, and every drama needs a front man. Step forward Zlatan.

Visitors Los Angeles FC surged to a 3-1 lead before Galaxy boss Sigi Schmid introduced Ibrahimovic from the bench at the 71-minute mark. What followed would have left even the big man himself rubbing his eyes in disbelief.

His side narrowed the deficit with a goal two minutes later, before the Swede took control. 40 yards from goal, Ibrahimovic hit a dipping, rasping volley that flew past opposition goalkeeper Tyler Miller. He was not done there though.

With the scores level, Ashley Cole drove down the left flank and whipped in a cross, and who was at the end of it but Ibrahimovic. A revelation in Europe, he had become an instant hero in the MLS.

Before the game Ibrahimovic told the press that "the lion was hungry". This lion was only just getting started.

Leading by example

Ibrahimovic has a multitude of elite domestic honors at several incredible clubs to his name. So you would be forgiven for posing the question - why should we be impressed by his MLS success?

Well, at the age of 37, Ibrahimovic has proven he can cut it in not just another country, but on another continent - one where the footballing culture is completely disparate to Europe.

Of those 22 goals he scored, seven were match winners. And although Galaxy missed out on the playoffs by a point to Real Salt Lake, they were significantly closer than they would have been without the veteran forward in their ranks.

Ibrahimovic won the adoration of MLS fans and players alike

Despite his occasional egotistical antics, Ibrahimovic is a team player, as reinforced by his 10 assists. And the Swede got the best out of an array of attacking outlets at Galaxy - from Ola Kamara to Romain Alessandrini.

LA Galaxy recorded their highest regular-season goal tally since 2014 thanks to Ibra's contributions and his influence on their developing forward armory.

History maker

He is a team player at his core, but there's no denying the 2018 MLS season was a campaign of personal accolades for Zlatan.

As well as scooping 'Newcomer of the Year' and earning a place in the 'MLS Team of the Season', the former Barca striker had two goals nominated for goal of the season - with his aforementioned debut strike against Los Angeles FC winning the award. The other goal was equally noteworthy.

Eight goals were notched in Galaxy's pulsating 5-3 defeat to last season's treble winners Toronto earlier this campaign, but Ibra's was the best of the bunch. A long ball was played over the top from Jonathan Dos Santos and, on the turn, the former Sweden international fired it into the net first time with the heel of his boot.

He did not celebrate, and it looked like being no more than a consolation goal. But it was in fact the 500th of his career - a remarkable feat achieved against a muted backdrop.

Just five weeks into his MLS career, Ibrahimovic spoke of the division's "tactical sophistication" when speaking to the league's official website. He said, "The pace is different, the tactic is different, the risk you take is different."

From the climate to the traveling, the MLS had its own demands to which Ibrahimovic had to adapt. There's no doubt this was a hugely successful chapter in the career of one of the game's most prominent journeymen.

Ibrahimovic may be switching the Stubhub for the San Siro, but he will leave an indelible mark on the MLS. Only the best of the best can make such a lasting impact in such a short space of time, and Ibrahimovic has never doubted he is the best.

Echoing his words in the wake of that tremendous Los Angeles derby, the fans wanted Zlatan. They got Zlatan.