Cocky.
Conceited. Arrogant. Just a few of the words commonly used to describe Zlatan
Ibrahimovic. But are they actually accurate? For example here is one
definition: ar·ro·gant /ˈarəgənt/ adj.: Having or
revealing an exaggerated sense of one's own importance or abilities. You
see, those words describe someone with an exaggerated sense of his importance
or abilities. But I offer you this challenge to the typical view of Ibra: Have
you ever considered that he actually is as
important and talented as he thinks he is?
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| Perhaps his self-image is not actually exaggerated? |
I
have often said that Ibra is full
of awesome. There is no one I know of that embodies this phrase better. He
is big – a giant amongst forwards. But he is very agile and very athletic, too.
He has spent his life committed to developing his mad skills, and it has paid
dividends in full. He has an incredible vision, too. In his book, he talks
about not really being able to describe how, but he just sees the plays in a
split second. He sees the openings, he sees how to maneuver, and knows
instinctively just what to do. He sees what usually no one else on the pitch
sees until it actually happens. Most players would kill for this ability, but for
Ibra, it is just second nature.
What
his teammates will tell you is how
incredibly hard he works himself and how high his expectations are for
himself. Unfortunately, he also expects the same of his teammates, and not all
of them are willing or able to give the same effort. Still, he inspires them.
As much as he is known for being selfish or a mercenary, he inevitably makes
those around him better players, even if it’s by brute force.
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| He's found a way to use his black belt in his football career. |
Speaking
of brute force, it is his common usage of it that makes people label him words
I can’t exactly type here. That and his rough language make people write him
off as rude, disrespectful, a jerk, or worse. But one need not look any further
than his background to see where these behaviors come from. They are a part of
him like eternally inflated expectations are a part of British footballing
culture. Personally, I find them a bit endearing, even if I’d never want to be
on the receiving end of his physical prowess. All of these traits are part of
what makes Ibra so full of awesome.
As
far as being a mercenary, it is unquestionable that Zlatan never was going to
be bandiera material. His personality
type is to move on to new challenges when he gets bored, no longer believes in
his team or coaches or management, etc. And so far, that has served him well.
By moving around so much, the excitement and challenges of new experiences
provided him with the motivation to win – not just for him, but for the whole
team. His record streak of nine straight league titles with five different
clubs truly makes him the Mary Poppins of
Football™, going from club to club as they need him. While it takes a
special something and loyalty that is so rare nowadays to be a bandiera, it also takes a very special
something for a player to play at so many clubs and so many different leagues
and still be a dominating force in helping them win titles. In my book, Ibra
gives the term mercenary a good name.
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| I told you he was the Mary Poppins of Football™ |
Of
course this latest move was incredibly controversial. It was obvious that Milan
were breaking up with him for financial reasons. How people think our
management are better than Ibra in this scenario is beyond me. If they couldn’t
afford him, why did they buy him in the first place? Incredibly
irresponsible. But Ibra didn’t leave without putting up a fight. First
there was the rumored argument with management in which he allegedly asked if
they truly did not have money and then he offered to write them a check. Then
his negotiations with PSG for personal terms took a painfully long time, many
noticed that he put up a much bigger fight than our supposed bandiera, Thiago Silva, and all during
the negotiations he was surrounded by his Milan support group of Pippo and
Abate, too. But in the end, he made sure his agent set him up nicely, and in
his press conference, he said all of the right things, including that Milan had
given him his smile back, something that has been noticeably missing since he
left.
Then
last week, following his first training with PSG, he was asked if PSG were
better than Milan, and he said they definitely were. This riled up a lot of
Milan fans, but it actually is true. PSG have unlimited finances, a sporting
director and a manager who are more than competent and have a plan and are
working together to implement it. With the excessive wealth, they have bought
some of the best players around, most of them from Serie A, of course. They are
transparent, focused, functioning, and building what Zlatan himself coined as a
“dream team.”
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| Don't believe everything you hear, this pic is probably the reason for the Abate to PSG rumors. |
Milan,
in contrast, have cleaned house with the players who made them, have an owner
who was forced out of political office, yet is thinking of running again, and is
constantly embroiled in legal troubles, including the biggest fine ever in
Europe for any company handed down to Milan’s parent company for inappropriate
business practices. Our management sold it’s two best players to balance the
books, and are not at all transparent about where those monies will go or
whether they will even be reinvested in the club. We have a manager who forced
out the Senatori, as Gattuso has admitted, and also ruined the last two years
of the career of Super Pippo for heaven only knows what reason. We are left
with a team where “quality” players like Antonini and Bonera are 3rd and 4th in
line for the captain’s armband, and people can honestly defend that our club is
better than PSG? Ibra is right on this one. The only thing we have on PSG is a
lot more trophies, a storied history, and fans that are both greater in number
and passion. But most of that is history, partially because of the sale of
Ibra, so I contend he is right. PSG at this point are better than Milan, and they are on the upswing while we are
sliding down.
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| The future god to the Swedish people |
But what
he said shouldn’t be surprising, Ibra always calls it like he is, he has never
been one to shy away from speaking his mind. He doesn’t fit the mold of the
politically correct, homegrown footballer who is worried about his image. No,
he’s the most incredible and successful footballer ever to come from Sweden, so
he is like a God to the Swedish
people. Ibra is so full of awesome, and just because he might be the first one
to tell you that doesn’t mean it’s not true. Grazie, Ibra, I will miss you more than you will ever know. Thanks
for giving the best two years of your career to Milan.
This post inspired by the music of Elias, featuring Frans
Our next friendly is
Milan vs. Club Deportivo Olimpia
Saturday, August 4 • 4:30pm EDT
Gilette Stadium, Foxboro, Massachusetts, U.S.A.