One of the most prolific goal scorers that the world has seen, known for his acrobatic strikes, long-range golazos, and powerful headers, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the Swedish superhero, announced his retirement from professional football on Monday, May 5. Or may we say, as the man himself might put it, ‘Football retired from Zlatan.’
With more than 500 goals for club and country, Ibrahimović is much more than just his scoring ability. Born on October 3, 1981, in Malmö, Sweden, Ibra never had a sweet childhood. He lived in a poor neighbourhood in Rosengard, outside Malmö, with Somalis, Turks, Yugoslavs, Poles, and many other immigrants, as mentioned in his autobiography, ‘I Am Zlatan’. There was no adult to help him with his homework, no one to ask “How was your day today, little Zlatan?”
His Club Career
Zlatan grew up playing club football in the neighbourhoods of Malmö, and had little idea of the professional football scene. Growing up among rustic neighbours, Zlatan always dreamt of becoming the ‘tough guy, surrounded by beer cans, Yugo music, and the Balkan War’. Until one day, his father brought up the topic of playing at a ‘big club’, and the biggest in the locality was Malmö FF.
He never felt welcome as a youth player at Malmö, always criticized for showing off his dribbling skills and hard tackles, which did not match the playing style of the club. But he was given an offer in the youth team – which his father signed, for he was a minor – that earned him 1,500 Kronor (around £130) a month, back in 1995. In his first season with Malmö FF, the team got relegated from the Allsvenskan League (1st tier) for the first time in sixty-five years, with Zlatan making only six appearances off the bench.
The following season, Zlatan bagged a professional contract worth 16,000 Kronor (around £1,400) a month, along with a studio apartment not far from the stadium. The second division, Superettan League, gave him the match time that he wanted. He scored twelve goals in the Superettan, bagged the golden boot, and was instrumental in returning his team to the Allsvenskan once again. The name “Zlatan” was soon recognised in the community.
His short but impactful stint at Malmö, caught the attention of some big European clubs like Arsenal, but apparently, he turned Arsene Wenger down because ‘Zlatan doesn’t do auditions’. Hesse Borg, a former Swedish national team defender who was then sporting director at Malmö, accepted a contract offer for Zlatan from the Dutch giants, Ajax Amsterdam, valued at around 160,000 Kronor (around £14,000) a month, a huge leap on his salary at the time. But ultimately, the deal gave his boyhood club a substantial financial benefit, for Zlatan’s salary was ‘sacrificed’ for the huge transfer fee. It was not easy for a 19-year-old to keep track of things with no proper agent in the deal. Eventually, Ajax paid a mind-boggling 85 million Kronor (around £6 million), a record transfer fee from Scandinavia. But it was the stepping stone for Ibrahimovic in European football.
At Ajax, Ibrahimovic won the Dutch Eredivisie in his first season with the club (2001-02), and again in the 2003-04 season, before moving to ply his trade in Italy, with Juventus. He scored 35 goals for Ajax in 74 appearances, the most notable being his solo goal past five defenders in a league match against NAC Breda, in August 2004. The commentators compared the goal with the brilliance of Diego Maradona and Zinedine Zidane.
Zlatan is one of those stars who has donned the jerseys of arch-rivals, and been successful for both. After Turin, Zlatan moved to the San Siro with Inter, and then to Barcelona, before going back to Italy with AC Milan. He then went to Paris, and won a few titles, before heading to England to play for Manchester United. From there, he moved to the United States for a stint with LA Galaxy, before returning to AC Milan for a second stint. It was there, in front of a captive audience at the San Siro that he finally hung up his boots at the age of 41.
But is the story just about the number of top European clubs he played for? Or the number of league titles he won in different countries? Well, no! There was a very different side to Ibrahimovic, the charismatic, 6-feet, 5-inch striker.
The other side of Zlatan
Ibrahimovic was known for his acrobatic prowess in scoring goals which made it look fun for the fans, and dangerous for opponents. Be it a taekwondo kick, a mule kick, a dribble past five defenders, or the bicycle kick from 32 yards for Sweden against England, to date the longest recorded bicycle kick in top-flight football. Zlatan has made several headlines with his unique goals. But there is another side of Zlatan that has made headlines over the years; his outspoken humorous comments, be it to coaches, to his teammates, or to journalists. Zlatan’s quotes were one of a kind.
Some famous Zlatan Quotes:
One of the most controversial, yet discussed quotes, would be what he told Pep Guardiola during his Barcelona days. Zlatan and Pep never quite gelled during his time at the Nou Camp, and Zlatan, then Barcelona’s No.9, was not satisfied with the manager’s decision to play him in a withdrawn position and play Messi up front. He told Guardiola, “It’s as if you bought a Ferrari, but you’re driving it like a Fiat.”
“I came like a King; I left like a Legend”, when he left PSG. Now when he joined Manchester United from PSG, he had to make the headline. His words on joining United were, “I won’t be the king of Manchester; I will be the God of Manchester.” When asked who was the best striker in the Premier League in an interview during his time in Manchester, he mentioned Romelu Lukaku and Sergio Aguero. “Lions don’t compare themselves with humans,” was his reply when asked why he didn’t take his name! Even the reporters had a gala time interviewing him. During his stint at Man United, he was out for seven months due to an ACL injury and made a comeback in the 77th minute in the 4-1 win over Newcastle. When asked about his recovery time, the reply was “Lions don’t recover like humans.”
He announced his MLS chapter with a thumping half-volley in the Los Angeles derby. His quote from the post-match presentation was, “They wanted Zlatan; I gave them Zlatan.”
“Now go back to watch baseball” was the message for US Soccer fans when he parted ways with LA Galaxy. A unique character indeed!
For all those colourful quotes, Zlatan’s colourful and volatile personality meant that he never got along with high-profile managers. He always wanted things his way. Turning up for training in a Porsche or Ferrari may have been the Zlatan way of doing things, but Guardiola never liked it, saying, “Here at Barca, we keep our feet on the ground. So, we don’t turn up to training sessions in Ferraris or Porsches.”
It might be his attitude or way of dealing life situations that caused much criticisms, and he was never the good boy in most managers’ eyes. What he did always have was a cult of fans who were mesmerized by his on and off-pitch heroics. Zlatan will always be remembered as one of a kind.
Now at 41, as he calls time, the only question that will remain unanswered is: Did he miss out on a Champions League winner’s medal for being Zlatan?
Whatever the answer, I thank Zlatan for entertaining millions of fans like me over such a long period. It’s sad to see your childhood heroes retiring. Millions of fans like me can only echo what AC Milan fans had put out on their tifo: GODBYE!
