“He plays a lot of his character”: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, more than a football player

2023-06-05 23:08:30

It was thought to be eternal on land. But he said stop this Sunday at age 41. After a season completely weighed down by a knee injury, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has formalized the end of his career. The Swedish striker is officially retiring from sport and it was in tears that he announced it after the final whistle of the match AC Milan – Hellas Verona. “It’s time to say goodbye to football, not just to you. There are too many emotions now, go Milan and goodbye, ”he said at the microphone on the pitch of the San Siro stadium.

This immense footballer went through the most prestigious clubs on the planet such as Juventus Turin, AC Milan, Inter, FC Barcelona and Manchester United. First huge star of the QSI era, Ibra wore the Parisian jersey for four seasons (2012-2016) winning numerous trophies (four league titles, two French Cups, three League Cups) thanks to his 156 goals and 61 assists in 180 appearances in all competitions. Zlatan Ibrahimovic remains the third top scorer in PSG history (behind Kylian Mbappé and Edinson Cavani). It was he who took Paris on a course, both nationally and internationally.

But, Ibra is not just a football star. He’s just a star. We cannot, in fact, dissociate the man and the international striker raised as a legend of football, even if he has never won a Ballon d’Or. Sure of himself, bordering on arrogance and sometimes contempt, the Swedish giant has been able to play on his image, from Milan to Manchester via Paris, and use it in his relationship with the media, the public and sponsors.

Between provocations and boasting, the color is announced as soon as it enters the professional circuit. In 1999, then aged 18, Zlatan Ibrahimovic signed his first contract with the FC Malmö team (Swedish D1). It is with these words that the child of the forgotten city of Rosengard introduces himself to his teammates: “Remember my name and my face. My name is Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and I will become the best football player in the world”. His punchlines made him an extraordinary man. He also leaves behind him a straight talk and a substantial amount of declarations often put at the service of his ego.

His arrival in Paris made him move into a new sphere as well as the Parisian club. The capital club had 1.3 million fans on Facebook before passing the 20 million mark when the Swede passed through. The latter has been a lucrative brand for PSG. Main partners of the Parisian club at the time, Nike and Fly Emirates have thus multiplied by five their annual investment, estimated at 25 million euros. The Ligue 1 star even had his own neologism in the Swedish dictionary. The verb “zlataner”, invented in France, arrived in its country of origin a decade ago and is on the list of neologisms identified by the very official Language Council.

At the time, the term invented by the Guignols de l’info on the Canal + channel had been taken up by Swedish correspondents in Paris, fascinated by the character’s popularity in France. It means “to take on something vigorously, to dominate on and off the field. »

“This country does not deserve PSG”

His safe and off-field behavior is under scrutiny. One day, after a lost match in Bordeaux with several contentious situations, his polemical sentence will even stir up part of the political class. “I’ve been playing football for 15 years and I’ve never seen such a referee. In this shitty country. This country does not deserve PSG. “His time in Los Angeles (2018-2020) further increases his worldwide popularity. “Zlatan plays a lot of his character even if he sometimes abuses it,” confided his former teammate Mickaël Ciani.

In the twilight of his sporting career, there was already speculation about his post-football future. Many saw him embrace a career as an actor. It happened earlier than expected with his participation in the last Asterix and Obelix, the Middle Kingdom. “We were looking for someone with presence and arrogance,” said director Guillaume Canet to explain the choice of the Swedish giant in the casting of his film. Asked recently about his retraining, the former Parisian announced that he was not thinking of leaving the world of football. One thing is certain: In football or not, Zlatan Ibrahimovic will always be talked about in the future.