Zlatan Ibrahimovic has
established himself as one of the top European strikers in the last three
decades. The towering forward has won silverware with virtually every club he
played for in Holland, Italy, France Spain and England. Valhmor Camilleri spoke
with Sweden’s all-time leading scorer on his career achievements and his plans
for the future…
Goals and trophies have been an integral part of Zlatan
Ibrahimovic’s career since he put his football shoes on for the first time with
his hometown club Malmo 20 years ago.
A powerful technical-gifted striker with an eye for goal,
the 37-year-old has emerged as one of the superstars of the modern game. In
fact, he is currently the third most decorated player in world football, having
won 31 trophies.
Ibrahimovic put his name on the football map at Ajax where
he helped the Dutch giants to the league title and his scoring prowess at such
a young age inevitably drew the attention of some of Europe’s best clubs and
eventually moved to Juventus.
This season, Ajax have set European football alight after
their storming run in the UEFA Champions League where they reached the
semi-finals before being agonisingly ousted by Tottenham after conceding a
last-gasp goal in Amsterdam.
Ibrahimovic said that he was not surprised with Ajax’s run
as it was only a matter of time for the Amsterdam club to leave their mark on
the big stage after facing Ibrahimovic’s Man. United in the Europa League final
two seasons ago.
“To be honest I was not surprised with their run to the
semi-finals of the Champions League,” Sweden’s all-time leading scorer with 62
goals told The Sunday Times of Malta.
“Two years ago, I played against them in the Europa League
final and had already reached a very good level there. They continued to
develop in the last two years and
this year I felt that they were really unlucky not to make
it to the Champions League final.
“Actually, I felt a bit sorry for them as I think they would
have deserved to face Liverpool. Had they made the Madrid showdown they would
have proved to be tougher opponents for Liverpool than Tottenham were. It took
them 15 years of development to reach such heights and I felt they deserved
more.”
Moving to Italy was in Ibrahimovic’s words the best decision
he ever made in his career.
It was in the Serie A that the six-foot-five striker
developed all his football potential. He won two Serie A titles with Juventus,
which were later revoked, three Scudetti with Inter and another league championship
with Milan, apart from winning the top scorer award twice.
“When I went to Italy, I still had to learn a lot of
things,” Ibrahimovic said.
“I enjoyed my time with Juventus but the best spell for me
was when I move to Inter and then with Milan.
“There, I think you saw the best Ibrahimovic.
“PSG have now bought a lot of players and have a big project but in Europe it takes time to gain the necessary experience and build a winning team.”
“For me, Italy will always be my second home. I will never
forget what Italy did to my football career. I played with the three biggest
clubs in Italy and it’s thanks to them that I became the player I am today.
“Now it’s difficult for me to go back as a player but maybe
in the future I could go back in a different role… we’ll just have to wait and
see.”
Barcelona were the only club at which Ibrahimovic struggled
to flourish as a difficult relationship with coach Pep Guardiola meant that he
ended up being sold by the Blaugrana.
“I think when something is not clicking you have to look for
a new adventure,” Ibrahimovic said on his time at Barcelona.
“Unfortunately, Guardiola didn’t like something about me,
which until this day I still don’t know, and I just made it easier for him by
moving to another club.
“But for me, when you are a man you try and resolve the
problems but he didn’t try so I just fixed the situation for him.”
At Paris St Germain, Ibrahimovic managed to showcase all his
qualities as he turned the French club into a winning machine, helping the
capital club to 13 trophies, including four successive league titles.
Since his departure from France, Paris St Germain have
struggled to transfer their domestic dominance into European success despite
the capture of Neymar to a world record fee two years ago.
This season, they were surprisingly ousted by Manchester
United following a stunning 3-1 defeat in Paris after they had won the first
leg at Old Trafford.
Ibrahimovic said that PSG just need time to develop and gain
the experience to leave a mark in UEFA club competitions.
“I think it takes a few years for a team to go to Europe and
win,” Ibrahimovic, who set an enviable record of winning eight straight league
titles in his career.
“Chelsea are a good example. When Abramovich took over the
club it took him a lot of years to be successful in Europe.
“PSG have now bought a lot of players and have a big project
but in Europe it takes time to gain the necessary experience and build a
winning team.”
One of Ibrahimovic’s biggest challenges in his career was
when he moved to England and joined Manchester United. He admits that during
his time at Old Trafford he was driven by the thought of silencing his critics
who said that he couldn’t succeed in England.
“There were many who questioned whether I could win trophies
in England, but I had a fantastic time at Manchester United,” Ibrahimovic said.
“It was a great experience and I ended up winning three
trophies, including first Europa League for the club. And that showed that Ibra
could also be successful in England.”
A knee injury ended his time at United and since his
departure the Red Devils have struggled to challenge for the main honours in
England. This season they have missed out on a place in the Champions League.
“I think the main problem at Manchester United is that they
failed to keep bringing in quality players on a consistent basis to compliment
the top players at the club,” the Swedish forward said.
“Unfortunately, Guardiola didn’t like something about me, which until this day I still don’t know, and I just made it easier for him by moving to another club.”
“When Mourinho came in he signed three excellent players and
we ended up winning three trophies but the club didn’t continue their squad
investment in the last couple of years.
“United failed to keep growing in terms of squad investment
and the other teams got stronger and stronger and they couldn’t keep up with
them.
“Now there is talk that they want to bring in some young
blood and I think it’s good but they also need to bring in experienced quality
players to ensure they can close the gap with the top teams in England.”
Today, Ibrahimovic is one of the shining stars at LA Galaxy
in the American Major League Soccer.
The prolific Swedish striker says that playing in the MLS is
a great challenge for him.
“I’m enjoying my time at LA Galaxy,” Ibrahimovic said.
“I have had a good time since I got back from my injury and
had no complications, which is the most important thing as I’m enjoying doing
what I love most.
“I think the MLS is developing well, even if it’s not on the same level of European football. It will take time to reach that level but slowly it will get there. It’s not easy to play in the MLS and it’s a challenge that I enjoy.
“Obviously to come here in America you have to show that you
are capable of maintaining your level of performance. I’m determined to get
results for the team and help the MLS to become globally known and having stars
like Wayne Rooney and Bastian Schweinsteiger and myself it helps.”
Malta connection
Not many might know but Ibrahimovic has a strong connection
with Malta as he is one of the shareholders of betting company Bethard Group.
“I am one of the shareholders at Bethard Group,” Ibrahimovic
said.
“At the moment, I’m focused on playing football, but I am
enthusiastic with my association with Bethard Group.
“I’m trying to use all my connections to try and help them
to grow on the international market and to get bigger so it’s a challenge that
I relish.”
Ibrahimovic may still be putting on his football shoes but
asked whether he would love to go into football management or administration,
he said: “At the moment, my focus is to continue playing football and enjoy my
time but once I retire there will be many options to what I can do.
“I had already a lot of offers to go into management, but
this is not the right time for that.
“But who knows in the future I might consider to go into
coaching or in any other capacity as football will always remain important for
me.”