ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC (SWEDISH)

Introduction:

Zlatan Ibrahimovic (born 3 October 1981) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a striker for French club Paris Saint German and the Swedish national team for which he is captain.

Ibrahimovic started his career at Malmo FF in the late 1990s before being signed by Ajax, where made a name for himself under Ronald Koeman. He later signed with Juventus for €16 million, and gained fame in Serie A by benefiting from his strike partnership with David Trezeguet. In 2006, Ibrahimovic signed with rivals Internazionale, where he won individual awards such as the Italian Oscar del 
Calcio and the Swedish Guldbollen, and was named in the 2007 and 2009 UEFA Team of the Year, in addition to finishing as the league's highest scorer in 2008-09 while winning three straight Scudetti. In the summer of 2009, he transferred to Barcelona. His time at Barcelona was short lived, however, moving back to Series A football with A.C. Milan the following season, in a deal which made him one of the highest paid footballers in the world and cost the Italian club €24 million. He signed with Paris Saint Germain in July 2012.

Ibrahimovic is one of ten players to have made 100 or more appearances for the Swedish national team, and is the country's all time leading goalscorer in international matches with 50 goals. He has represented Sweden at the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups, as well as the 2004, 2008 and 2012UEFA European Championships.

With his playing style compared to Dutch legend Marco van Basten, Ibrahimovic is one of the best finishers in the game and is regarded to be one of the best footballers of his generation. His spectacular bicycle kick for Sweden against England won the 2013 FIFA Puskas Award for Goal of the Year. In December 2013, Ibrahimovic was ranked by The Guardian as the third best player in the world. In December 2014, Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter named Ibrahimovic the second greatest Swedish sportsperson of all time.

Career:

Even though Ibrahimovic was eligible to play for Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, he chose to play for Sweden, his country of birth. Ibrahimovic made his debut in a 0-0 friendly draw against the Faroe Islands at Tipshallen on 31 January 2001 during the 2000-01 Nordic Football Championship. On 7 October 2001, he played his first competitive match, a 2002 World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan, scoring in a 3-0 win. Ibrahimovic was part of 

Sweden's 2002 FIFA World Cup finals squad who were eliminated in the round of 16 by newcomers Senegal. During 2006 World Cup qualification, Ibrahimovic scored four goals in a 7-0 victory away to Malta on 4 September 2004. He did not score during the 2006 World Cup finals as Sweden were knocked out in the round of 16, this time by Germany. He was called up for a Euro 2008 qualifier against Liechtensteinon 6 September 2006, but two days before the match, he violated team curfew by leaving the hotel with teammates Christian Wilhelmsson and Olof Mellberg and visiting anightclub. Though none of the players consumed any alcohol, they were nonetheless all sent home by manager Lars Lagerback as punishment and did not take part in the match. Mellberg and Wilhelmsson
did not appeal the coach's decision, but Ibrahimovic felt that it was unjust and therefore refused to take part in Sweden's next qualifiers against Iceland and Spain. He also refused to partake in a friendly against Egypt on 7 February 2007, but ended his self imposed boycott a month later, and returned for Sweden's loss to Northern Ireland on 28 March. He did not score in any of the 12 qualifying matches. Ibrahimovic was awarded the 2007 Swedish Golden Ball as the "Country's Top Player of the Year. Ibrahimovic ended his international goal drought, which had lasted for over two years, against Greece in Sweden's Euro 2008 opener on 10 June 2008, and the next match against Spain four days later. He finished the tournament with two goals as Sweden were eliminated in the group stage by Russia. Ibrahimovic scored a goal in a 4-0 win against Malta on 10 June 2009 in a 2010 World Cup qualifier. On 5 September 2009, he scored a last second goal in Stadium Puskas Ferenc against Hungary in a 2-1 win for Sweden in their qualification match. In October 2012, Ibrahimovic scored Sweden's first goal as they came from 4-0 down to draw 4-4 in a 2014 World Cup qualifier against Germany in Berlin. It was the first time in its history that the German national team had not won a match after leading by four goals. On 14 November 2012, he scored all four goals in a 4-2 win over England in the first ever match at the Friends Arena. His fourth goal, a 35 yard overhead kick with his back to goal, won him praise from players and pundits, with the BBC describing it as a goal that "combined unfathomable imagination and expert technique". It would win the 2013 FIFA Puskas Award for Goal of the Year.

Plying Style:

Ibrahimovic has been described by ESPN as being "good in the air, tall, strong and agile, he plays well with his back to goal and boasts some of the best finishing, vision, passing and ball control around." Although he has been criticised for his work rate in big matches, he has scored in some of the biggest matches in football including the Milan Derby in Italy, El Clasico in Spain, Le Classique in France, and UEFA Champions League and UEFA Euro Championship games against some of the strongest opponents in football. Ibrahimovic is the only player to have scored for six different clubs in the Champions 
League. Tactically, Ibrahimovic is capable of playing anywhere along the front line, although he is most often deployed as a striker, or as a creative supporting forward, which allows him to provide assists for team mates. Due to his prolific goal scoring and spectacular strikes, Ibrahimovic is regarded by many in the sport to be one of the best players in the world and one of the most complete strikers of his generation. He has however been criticised for his aggression and rebellious character at times. Due to his powerful shots and volleys from inside and outside the penalty area with both feet and on dead ball situations, his agility, acrobatic ability in the air, physicality, skill, finishing and technique, Ibrahimovic has frequently been compared to Dutch legend Marco van Basten. Despite this comparison, Ibrahimovic has stated that his main influence was his idol, former Brazilian superstar Ronaldo, whom he regards as the greatest player of all time.
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