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It’s official. Zlatan Ibrahimović has left Manchester United for LA Galaxy, and people are excited. Although he is a controversial player due to his aggressive actions in the past, there is no doubt he’s one of the best soccer players worldwide. After only two seasons with Manchester United, it was agreed that an early termination was allowed despite his contract not being up until later this year. This is good news for MLS because there has not been a commercial name like this in the league since David Beckham. It’s no surprise that Zlatan will bring publicity. With his phenomenal skill, brash demeanor and contentious past, the crowds will certainly gather. Here’s what you need to know about him.
Zlatan’s Age
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The MLS has been accused of being a place that players go to retire, and with their signing of the 36-year-old, people are wondering if this is actually the case. However, despite his age, Zlatan is in excellent shape. His knee ligament injury last April with Manchester United took him out for the majority of the season which worried many since most players at 35 who experience this type of injury have a very difficult time getting back on the field. This was not the case for Zlatan thankfully, who has recovered well.
Impressive Stats
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Since the start of his professional career, Zlatan has played on many teams. At age 16, he joined the Swedish professional soccer club Malmö FF. Then at 19, he signed with AFC Ajax. From there, he played for Juventus. Following that, he joined Internazionale where he scored 25 goals in the 2008-09 season and became the league’s top goal scorer. After this, he briefly signed with FC Barcelona. He didn’t stay for long due to him feeling as though he didn’t fit well with the team, so he decided to play for AC Milan where he made 85 appearances and scored 56 goals. He then moved on to Paris Saint-Germain where he stayed for four years. During this time he scored 156 goals and in October 2015, he became the all-time lead scorer for the club. On July 1, 2016, Zlatan signed with Manchester United and in his first season, he played in 46 matches and scored 28 goals. In addition, he was also a member of the Swedish National Team from 2001-2016, and for his last six years with the team, he was captain.
Violent On The Field
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Zlatan has a history of being both verbally combative and physical on and off the field. This was evident in 2011 when he was playing for AC Milan. After FC Bari’s Marco Rossi beat him to a header, Zlatan punched the opposing defender in his stomach and was issued a red card followed by a three-game ban. When playing for Paris Saint-Germain, Zlatan collided with Dejan Lovren of Lyon, who fell to the ground. While on the ground, Zlatan stomped on the player’s head and hand. There was speculation over whether or not the incident was on purpose. Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas believed it was. During his short time with Barcelona, Zlatan had disagreements with how Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola managed the team. Zlatan’s frustrations led him to throwing a training-kit box across the room at Guardiola as well as verbally abusing him.
LA Times Introduction
On Friday March 23, to properly announce his introduction to LA Galaxy, Zlatan paid for a full-page advertisement in the LA Times. The ad was short, simple, and right to the point. It read, “Dear Los Angeles, You’re welcome.” At the bottom of the ad was his signature. Just from the ad itself, it can be gleamed that Zlatan is anything but humble; however, the ad demonstrates his over-the-top personality which will definitely entertain MLS soccer fans.
His Name Is In The Dictionary
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In 2012, to honor Zlatan, the Swedish Language Council added a new word to their dictionary: “Zlatanera.” The verb means “to dominate.” The council decided to add the word after the phrase “to zlatan” started being actively used in conversation. The word was first coined on Les Guignols, a satirical television show in France during the time Zlatan was playing for Paris Saint-Germain.
So get ready! Get pumped! Dare to Zlatan! Sporting the number nine jersey, there is rumor that Zlatan may make his first appearance with LA Galaxy as early as March 31st, 2018 against Los Angeles FC.
