That was a pretty good goal eh? Yes, Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s goal against England on Wednesday night forever be included in those ‘Greatest goal ever’ videos you get on YouTube, probably with a few others of his, too.
Zlatan’s performance on Wednesday night was silky smooth as every time he touched the ball he slowed the game down and commanded it to be played at his pace. Ibrahimovic didn’t look like he broke a sweat (well, it was friendly) as scored four goals to help Sweden to a 4-2 victory over the Three Lions. The way he made Ryan Shawcross look like an amateur for his second was laughable.
He has always been an intruiging figure has Zlatan and one of the most talented players we will likely see in our generation. I have seen him play in the flesh once when Arsenal hosted Barcelona in the Champions League and for the most part he floated in and out of the game but he did score two very good goals, one a chip over a hapless Manuel Almunia (who, coincidentally, had probably one of his best games in an Arsenal shirt that night).
The key with Zlatan, though, is in order for him to play to the maxium of his abilities he needs to be in the right surroundings and the right circumstances. For Zlatan to be excel, he needs to be the focal point of a team, the main attraction and involved in everything the team does.
This is why he wasn’t as successful at Barcelona as they adopt a team mentality, embracing total football where everybody works for each other and no player is greater than the other. Zlatan didn’t like that and his relationship with Pep Guardolia soured and his was shipped out to AC Milan where he enjoyed two excellent seasons winning the Scudetti twice.
It is a shame Zlatan has never been tempted enough to play in the Premier League and we could enjoy first hand some of that sublime skill and talent. There were rumours of Arsene Wenger possibly signing him many years ago but even for Arsene his ego was something that was too difficult to harness.
When a players acculumative transfer fees total up to £150 million plus it is difficult to justify but with Zlatan it may be possible. Wherever he goes he wins and makes a team instantly better. His goal scoring record speaks for itself but he always has had a reputation for being slightly unhinged throughout his career.
Regardless, he is once again proving his importance at PSG as he has already scored 9 goals for his new team. As evidenced by his recent sending off for a karate kick against St Etienne, though, for all that creative talent there is always going to be a little bit of madness when you enter Zlatan’s world.