One of the most charismatic figures in the world of football is undoubtedly represented by Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Swedish striker of Yugoslav origin has played in very important teams, namely Ajax, Juventus, Inter, Milan (where he still plays, having returned after several years), PSG, Manchester United and Barcelona. In all these years, Ibrahimovic has always shown that he is a true champion, a player able both to change the game and to lead the team thanks to the great charisma in his possession.
However, Ibrahimovic's story is also and above all made up of revenge, and of a difficult past, marked by the social context in which he grew up: the suburbs of Malmö, in Sweden, neighborhoods very populated by immigrants, and in which the crime rate and of poverty are at worrying levels. Here is the story of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, from the dawn to his current experience at Milan, with some statistics taken from the most important betting sites .
Ibra's story
Zlatan Ibrahimović was born on October 3, 1981 in Malmö, Sweden to Sefik Ibrahimović (father, Bosnian and Muslim) and Jurka Gravić (mother, of Croatian Catholic and partly Albanian descent).
He started playing football when he first received a pair of football boots at the age of 6. He played for FBK Balkan, a club made up mainly of Yugoslav migrants, for Malmö BI and then for Bk Flagg. He became a starter for his city club, Malmö FF, as a teenager.
At 15, young Zlatan came very close to saying goodbye to his football career, to get a job at the port of Malmö: his coach, who must have foreseen the future in some way, convinced him not to stop playing. Zlatan Ibrahimović has been a victim of abuse and bullying, including in football, but he has shown resilience and converted all of this into trust, developing an extraordinary charisma himself.
Ajax and Juventus
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger failed to convince Ibrahimovic to play for the Gunners, so on 22 March 2001 Ajax successfully signed the Swede for € 8.7 million. On 22 August 2004, he drew the attention of the general public when he scored a magnificent solo goal against NAC Breda, overtaking five opponents. The network won the goal of the year award from Eurosport viewers.
Ibrahimovic was sold to Juventus for 16 million euros on 31 August 2004, where he immediately entered the starting line-up and scored 16 goals, which took the Bianconeri to the top of Serie A. At the end of the season, Zlatan Ibrahimovic was named footballer foreign Serie A of the year and in November 2005 he obtained the award as the best Swedish footballer of the year.
Inter, Barcelona and Milan
After his experience at Juventus, Ibrahimovic moved to Inter, where he won 3 league titles in a row and attracted even more the attention of the big names from all over Europe, also and above all thanks to the amazing plays he manages to do in the match.
He therefore arrives at Barcelona, but the experience - albeit incredibly positive - paradoxically is not to be framed like others. Although he manages to win a Spanish championship, two Spanish Super Cups, a UEFA Super Cup and a Club World Cup, when he is called upon to give a decisive performance in the Champions League, creating discontent in the Blaugrana environment.
He then moved to Milan, where he won a Scudetto and a Super Cup.
PSG, Manchester United, L.A. Galaxy and return to Milan
After the short AC Milan interlude, Ibrahimovic returns to Europe, first to PSG, where he wins four championships and several cups, then to Manchester United, with which he obtains a European trophy: the Europa League in the 16/17 season. Before returning to Milan, where he currently plays, in the 19/20 season he plays in the United States, at the Galaxy in Los Angeles.
