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Where is the gold. Zlatan Ibrahimovic: biography, wife, instagram, fortune

Ibrahimovic was born on October 3, 1981 in Malmö, Sweden into an international family. Zlatan's first team was "Balkan", which played exclusively children of emigrants from the Balkan countries. At the age of 13, Ibrahimovic was in the youth team of Malmö, where he took his first steps in professional football. In 1999, he was ripe for a debut for the club's main team. In his first season in big football - the 1999 season - the striker took part in 6 matches, scoring one goal in them.

Further more. The very next year, he played in 26 matches and scored 12 goals against opponents, however, Malmö was playing in the second Swedish division at that time, having taken off from the elite last season. The following year, he managed to play only half a season for the Swedish team: scouts of many European clubs laid eyes on him. In particular, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger liked his game. However, the striker decided to move to Ajax. In the summer of 2002, Zlatan went to his first major tournament as part of the Swedish national team. At that World Cup, held in Japan and South Korea, the striker played only seven minutes in a match against the Argentines.

The year 2003/04 began for Ibrahimovic with a victory in the country's Super Cup, and ended with a second championship in the Netherlands. This season was Zlatan's last in the Amsterdam team. He started the 2004/05 football year with them, but injured fellow Ajax player Rafael van der Vaart during a friendly between Sweden and Holland in August. According to Rafael, a serious injury was inflicted on him intentionally, and in order not to inflame passions within the team, Ibrahimovic was sacrificed. However, that's another way to say it. Ajax made €19m from the striker's sale to Juventus on the last day of the summer transfer window, so the Dutch didn't grieve over his departure.

In Turin, the striker did not become his own. He was called to replace Trezeguet, who was often tormented by injuries, but scored only 16 goals in 45 matches in all competitions in his first season with the Bianconeri. From him, as part of the Italian grandee, they clearly expected something more. However, during the off-season, Turintsy turned down an offer from Real Madrid, who were rumored to be offering €70m for the player, giving Zlatan the opportunity to shine. However, the game didn't work for him. The following year, he scored only 10 goals in 46 matches, and he played mainly on the flank, where he was pushed back by the will of Fabio Capello. At the end of that year, Turintsy were deported to Serie B due to the famous "Calciopoli", and Zlatan began his journey through the Italian giants. Fortunately, there was a demand for it.

In August 2006, the forward signed a contract with Inter, and the transfer amount was about 25 million euros. As part of the Nerazzurri, he became a real European star. With the Red-Blacks, he won three championships in Italy and two Super Cups, in the 2008/09 season he became the top scorer in Serie A. However, he failed to achieve success on the European arena. After spending three seasons with the Milanese, playing in 116 matches in all competitions and scoring 66 goals in them, the striker went to Spain. "Barcelona" offered for him some unthinkable 46 million euros and that's about it.

In the Catalan team, Ibrahimovic spent only a year, but during this time he won as many titles as in the previous five years of his stay in Italy. Spanish Championship, two Super Cups of the country, UEFA Super Cup, Club World Cup. For the Catalans, he played 41 matches in all competitions, in which he scored 21 goals. However, disagreements with the Blaugrana mentor Josep Guardiola, caused, no doubt, by the complex character of Ibrahimovic, forced the Spanish giant to part with the player. Zlatan returned on loan to Italy - to Milan, where he had not played until that time. But he hardly regretted the transition - as part of the Rossoneri, he won another Scudetto and was close to another one.

Date of birth of Zlatan Ibrahimovic: October 3, 1981
MLS club: Los Angeles Galaxy
Position: Forward
Game number: 9
Hobbies: taekwondo, cars, charity
Where he lives: Los Angeles, USA
Instagram Zlatan Ibrahimovic: iamzlatanibrahimovic, 31.7 million subscribers
Net Worth: $190 million
Personal life: Married to Swedish actress and fashion model Helena Seger
Children: two sons - Maximilian (born in 2006) and Vincent (2008)

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

A Swedish professional footballer with Bosnian-Croatian roots who plays for the MLS club Los Angeles Galaxy. He is a graduate of the Swedish "Malmö", for whose youth teams he played from the age of 12. He made his debut in the main team in 1999. In the summer of 2001, he was sold to the Dutch Ajax for 7.8 million euros.

Ibrahimovic spent three seasons with Ajax, becoming Dutch champions twice and taking the Cup once. In the summer of 2004, he ended up at Juventus (transfer amount - 16 million euros). He became the champion of Italy twice with the team, but then both titles were annulled as a result of a high-profile scandal. In the summer of 2006, he was sold to Inter Milan for 24.8 million euros, with him he became the champion of Italy three times and won the Super Cup twice.

In the summer of 2009, Zlatan was acquired by the Spanish Barcelona for 46 million euros. With her, Ibrahimovic became the champion of Spain, the club world champion and the owner of the UEFA Super Cup. However, Zlatan's relationship with head coach Josep Guardiola deteriorated - in the summer of 2010, the Swede was rented by Milan and immediately became the Italian champion with him.

In the summer of 2012, Milan sold Ibrahimovic to Paris Saint-Germain for 60 million euros. With the Parisian club, Zlatan won the French championship four times. In the summer of 2016, Ibrahimovic moved to Manchester United. With the Mancunians he won the Europa League, the Football League Cup and the FA Super Cup. In the spring of 2018, he terminated his contract with Manchester United and moved to America, signing an agreement with Los Angeles Galaxy.

As part of the Swedish national team, he participated in four European championships and two world champions. He is the top scorer in the history of the Swedish national team. Twice he became the top scorer of the Italian championship, once - the championship of France. Three times he was recognized as the footballer of the year in Italy, 11 times - the footballer of the year in Sweden. Three times - the best player in the championship of France. In the 2012/2013 season, he became the best assistant of the Champions League. In 2013 he received the FIFA Ferenc Puskas Award for the most beautiful goal of the year.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic highlights

Here is a selection of the best performances of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, including the most amazing goals, from his entire football career.

Some players leave a deep mark in the history of football, their game captivates, wins hearts, makes matches unforgettable and dynamic. For the sake of talented athletes, people come to tournaments to enjoy great technique.

To see such players, viewers are already buying tickets for the 2018 World Cup, stocking up photos for autographs. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, striker of the Los Angeles Galaxy team with a complex biography and personal life, can rightly be called such a person and an idol of the generation.

Difficult childhood and first success

In the Swedish city of Malmö, on October 3, 1981, the boy Zlatan was born. His parents were a union of people of different religions that did not last long. The athlete himself is neutral about beliefs, although there were rumors about his belonging to Islam.

Ros Future football player in an unfavorable area of the city. Despite the control and severity of the mother, he found himself in trouble. More than once he was caught stealing. He was quick-tempered and constantly got into fights. Crime stories haunted the boy all his youth. Absolutely not motivated to study, he did not like school, but mathematics was easy for him, thanks to a well-developed logic.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic in his youth

He started playing at the age of 6, and by the age of 8 he participated in the Balkans team. At the age of 12, the teenager made a decision that saved his life, filling it with new meaning. He decided to play for the Malmö youth team. After graduating from the academy, he continued to play in the youth team of the club. And at the age of 17 he signed the first official contract.

In addition to football, Zlatan tried himself in martial arts, in particular, he went to the taekwondo section. Football seemed closer to him in spirit, and he opted for it.

Sports career

FC Malmö

The contract was concluded for two years. The first appearance on the field during an official match took place in 1999. In a short period of cooperation, he proved himself as a productive forward. In two seasons, he scored 12 goals and returned the team from the second division to the first. This was noticed by the coach of the Dutch club Ajax and the London Arsenal. The football player accepted the offer of the first, as the British did not want to conclude a contract at the initial stage of cooperation. But they were ready to take him to the team for training and education without a salary. Naturally, this option did not suit the ambitious athlete.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Malmö

FC Ajax

The first transfer amounted to 7.8 million euros. The cooperation lasted for three seasons and the team achieved the following successes:

two Dutch titles;
one Dutch Cup.

Zlatan has been involved in a scandalous story. He hit the player with his elbow and received a 5-match ban. On August 22, 2004, he scored a goal that brought him world fame and was recognized as the best of the year. To get into the goal, Ibrahimovic beat half of the opposing team and the goalkeeper. The football player was noticed by other clubs, from which interesting proposals for cooperation began to arrive.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Ajax

FC Juventus

The most tempting offer came from Italy in 2004 with a contract worth 16 million euros. Zlatan excelled in his debut season when he helped the team win the Italian Champion title. Then he repeated his success the next season.

At that moment, a corruption scandal broke out, culminating in the annulment of the titles of the winners. After the incident, Zlatan Ibrahimovic decided to move on and did not renew the contract. He played 70 matches, scoring 26 goals. He was recognized as the best foreign player and player of the year in his native country.

Ibrahimovic at Juventus

FC Inter

Along with the skill, the rate for which the football player agreed to play for new clubs also grew. Now the game of the Swedish forward was estimated at 25 million euros. The transition took place in 2006. A month later, he began to justify the money invested, scoring the first goal against Fiorentina. He spent three seasons with the club, achieving the following results:

Almost immediately earned the respect of teammates and the coach. He was put in the starting lineup. Thanks to the talent of Ibrahimovic, the team won the Scudetto in 2006.
In the 2007/08 season, the Swede extended the contract for another five years. He was given a salary of 9 million euros. At this stage, the football player became the highest paid player in the world.
After a spectacular goal in the "nine", which became famous all over the world and played as a splash screen of the Champions League, the team began to pursue failures. First, the striker's performance drops and the team flies out by 1/8. Ibrahimovic is not given the Ballon d'Or, and then he gets injured and is temporarily out of the game.
The 2008/2009 season for the football player turned out to be more successful than the previous one. He is recognized as the top scorer of the year. In home games, he did not suffer defeats, but the world field did not submit to the player. Inter were knocked out of the Champions League after being beaten by Manchester United.

Famous sportsman during a football match

Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored many goals for his biography, which conquered with their beauty, and were printed in magazines in the photo. The press has repeatedly spoken of him as a brilliant football player who, with his refusal from the 2018 World Cup, is very upsetting for fans. He is also known as a person whose personal life is associated with various scandals.

FC Barcelona

The transfer cost the club 46 million euros. The first season in the new team ended with several awards:

Spanish Super Cup;
UEFA Super Cup;
Winner of the Club World Cup.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Barcelona

The Swede made a significant contribution to the victory by making shots on the opponent's goal. Cooperation ended with a victory in the LA League and a goal in the Spanish Super Cup. The reasons for the gap was a conflict with the coach, with whom they did not agree in character.

For two years, the athlete received two injuries: hips and lower legs. Both are minor, as they knocked the attacker out of the game for only 2 weeks.

FC Milan

The club temporarily took the player on loan, as they needed a strong striker. With Zlatan, the team began to win. In the first year, she received two awards:

Italian Super Cup;
Italian Championship.

The next season brought no victories. But Zlatan was recognized as the top scorer and bought by Milan.

FC Paris Saint-Germain

The French offered 21 million euros for the Swede. Since Milan needed money at that time, the offer was accepted. Ibrahimovic temporarily moved to PSG. He appeared on the field in 121 matches, during which he scored 111 goals. During the games, he carried out penalties, hat-tricks, doubles, which captivated the audience and fans. Two years in a row he became the best player in France, once the top scorer. Led the team to the French championship three times. He himself claimed that he "came like a king and leaves like a legend" of Parisian football.

FC Manchester United and FC Los Angeles Galaxy

The debut match took place on August 7, 2016. Zlatan played two seasons, taking part in 51 games and scoring 29 goals. In December, he was recognized as the best player according to the fans. As part of the team won:

English League Cup;
FA Super Cup;
UEFA Europa League.

March 23, 2018 Zlatan Ibrahimovic moved to another club. This time it was the Los Angeles Galaxy. But the player will not be able to enter the field in its composition.

Sweden national team

The athlete was invited to the national team when he was 19 years old. He was able to score the first goal only six months later at the qualifying match of the 2002 European Championship. Then he did not play in the starting lineup, occasionally coming on as a substitute.

At Euro 2004, Zlatan was given more playing minutes, including in the starting lineup. There he proved himself, practically knocked out a ticket to the quarterfinals. But a penalty miss prevented the team from climbing higher. Two years later, Ibrahimovic missed the season due to disciplinary offenses. But by Euro 2008, the player was allowed to return to the national team.

During a workout

Entering the field, the athlete was seriously injured. After recovery, he was part of it until 2016. Then he announced his resignation. During his time with the national team, Zlatan did not earn high-profile titles and awards. He scored 62 goals in over 100 matches. For the past two years, Ibrahimovic has been the captain of the team, teaching young players new techniques for dribbling the ball.

Personal life

The hot temper of Zlatan Ibrahimovic did not prevent him from finding happiness in his personal life. The biography of a football player is full of victories and losses. But he considers the most important achievement to be the acquisition of a family and the birth of two sons. While fans won't see their idol at the 2018 World Cup, fresh photos of his family and his own can be seen on Zlatan.net. The athlete regularly updates his profile and shares posts with fans where he talks about life outside of football.

The wife of a football player works as a fashion model. The couple currently lives in Paris. The sons go to the Manchester United academy. Zlatan Ibrahimovic speaks five languages and participates in charity events.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic with his wife

The main fund in which he invests is a community whose activities are aimed at helping the poor and low-income people. Currently, the athlete is working under an advertising contract with Nike. He is interested in cars. A small fleet of vehicles has been assembled in the football player’s garage, which he gladly shows to the press and often shows to fans on social networks.

Bad character, incredible charisma and natural talent are perfectly combined in Ibrahimovic. This tall and stately striker made millions of fans around the world fall in love with him, but made them hate him even more. However, Zlatan hardly ever thought about how strangers treat him. Even in the Balkans children's team, where the football player began his career, he managed to quarrel with his partners and the head coach. Once Zlatan was left on the bench for bad behavior. After the first half, his team was trailing 0-4, but then Ibrahimovic came out and scored eight goals against the opponent, giving his team an 8-4 win.

There are a lot of similar facts in the biography of Zlatan, and you are not particularly surprised if you are at least a small fan of a football player. At the age of 12, Zlatan joined the academy of the Malmö football club. For the next four years, he played for the junior and youth teams of Malmö. At the age of 18, he made his debut in the first team, scoring 1 goal in 6 matches. Since Zlatan's team was relegated to the second division, he had a great chance to gain a foothold in the first team. In the 2000/01 season, the Swede scored 12 goals in 25 second division matches and helped the club return to the top league.

Interest of Arsene Wenger and move to Ajax

In the summer of 2001, London Arsenal and his coach Arsene Wenger began to show interest in Zlatan. The French specialist offered the Swede to train for some time with the first team so that he could evaluate his game. However, Zlatan did not like that he was not offered a real contract, so on the eve of the 2001/02 season he joined Ajax Amsterdam. The Dutch club paid seven million euros for the young striker, setting a Swedish league transfer record.

Ibra's career in the "Jewish" camp began on April 2, 2001, when he was officially introduced as a player in the Amsterdam club. Zlatan said that Ajax is perfect for his style of play, and also admitted that he always dreamed of getting into such a big club. The start at Ajax turned out to be breathtaking - in six matches of the pre-season, the Swedish striker scored 18 goals. Already on August 8, he played his first match in the UEFA Champions League against Celtic. A week and a half later, he made his debut in the Dutch Championship in a duel against Roda.

Gradually, Ibrahimovic managed to gain a foothold at the base of the "Jews" and already in the second round of the Eredivisie scored his debut goal, hitting the Feyenoord gate. In his debut season, he played 33 matches on the field and scored 9 goals. Zlatan missed five championship matches due to a disqualification received for deliberately hitting an opponent with an elbow. In the debut season of Ibrahimovic, Ajax managed to become the champion of the Netherlands. Gradually, the player adapted to the conditions of fast and not always fair Dutch football. In the 2002/03 season, he already scored 13 goals in 25 matches. Five more goals from the Swede came in the Champions League tournament, in which Ajax reached the quarterfinals, losing with a minimum score to Milan.

In the 2003/04 season, Ibrahimovic helped Ajax regain the league title. At this time, the team was led by Ronald Koeman, who built the game of the "Jews" around the Swedish striker. This season, Zlatan scored one of his first incomparable goals - against Breda. The Swede picked up a projectile about thirty meters from the gate, then began to move forward, beating half of the opponent's players, after which he hit the already empty gate. Subsequently, this ball was recognized as the "Best Goal of the Year" according to the Eurosport TV channel. This season, Ajax took the league title, and also managed to reach the Dutch Cup final, where they lost to PSV.

Moving to Juventus and Koeman's quarrel with Van Gaal

On August 31, 2004, on the final day of the transfer window, Ibrahimovic was sold to Juventus in Turin for 16 million euros. It soon became clear that the head coach of the "Jews" Koeman did not want to part with the Swedish scorer at all, but Louis Van Gaal, who then played the role of the team manager, decided everything for him. Both specialists soon quarreled, and Van Gaal was soon forced to leave his post. Ibrahimovic, on the other hand, managed to quickly gain a foothold in the Bianconeri camp and already in the 2004/05 season helped the team win the league title, scoring 16 goals in 29 matches.

November 14, 2005 Zlatan was recognized as the best football player of the year in Sweden. Subsequently, he would receive this award many more times, as well as other individual awards. In the meantime, Zlatan began to lose in competition to David Trezegga. In the winter of 2006, it became known that Zlatan was ready to leave the club and move to one of the Spanish giants for a substantial sum. However, the Swede stayed at Juve and in the 2005/06 season he won a second league title. Shortly after the end of this season, the famous Calchapoli corruption scandal erupted in Italy. The Turin club was sent to Serie B, and Ibra moved to Inter Milan for just 25 million euros.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic at the International

In his debut season for Inter he played 36 matches and scored 15 goals. The then head coach of the Nerazzurri, Roberto Mancini, saw in Ibrahimovic the uncontested leader of the team and always trusted him with a place at the base. The Milan club won the league title with a record number of points (97). Also, the "snakes" reached the 1/8 finals of the Champions League, where they lost in a two-legged confrontation with "Valencia". It was at Inter that Zlatan began to gain worldwide fame. He soon won a new contract from the snakes, according to which he received 9 million euros a year - more than any other player in the world.

Inter became so dependent on Ibrahimovic that they managed to lose a 19-point lead in 2007/08 after Zlatan was sidelined for two months with an injury. Returning only to the last round, Ibrahimovic came out in the second half of the match against Parma and scored a “golden double”. In his home country, Ibrahimovic received the Golden Ball for two years in a row, and also landed in the Serie A symbolic team.

The 2008/09 season was Zlatan's last in the Internazionale camp. He scored 25 goals in 35 matches, becoming the top scorer in Serie A. Zlatan scored three more goals in the Coppa Italia and helped his team to complete the “national double” - Cup + Champion title. However, after this season, he left the Nerazzurri camp. The bad character of a football player who was not going to endure the “mind games” of Jose Mourinho again reminded himself of himself and decided to leave the Milan club.

Ibrahimovic's career at Barcelona

In the summer of 2009, Ibra moved to the Barcelona camp. It is noteworthy that there were no rumors and talk about the player moving to the camp of the Catalan team. Inter President Joan Laporte simply announced that an agreement had been reached between the Milanese club and the Blue Garnets. The transfer amount was approximately 46 million euros, and the contract was concluded for five years. In addition, Samuel Eto'o followed in the opposite direction, who was estimated at another 20 million euros. In total, Inter received about 70 million euros for the transfer of Ibra.

In August, the Swede played the UEFA Super Cup and Spanish Super Cup finals. He scored his first goal in the debut meeting of Examples against Sporting from Gijon. Zlatan scored in the first 3 rounds of the Spanish championship, forming a link with Lionel Messi. The player also scored in the Champions League group stage, scoring a brace against Rubin. Josep Guardiola tried in the 2008/09 season to build a scheme with three forwards Henry - Messi - Ibrahimovic. However, this arrangement did not justify itself and Henry and Ibrahimovic replaced each other. The Swede has been out of action several times with injuries, playing in 29 league games and scoring 16 goals.

Return to Italy - Milan

On August 28, 2010, Ibrahimovic returned to Italy, joining the ranks of AC Milan. As the press reported, the main reason for the Swede's departure from Barça was the growing conflict with Josep Guardiola. On August 28, 2010, Ibra began performing in Milan on a one-year loan. On September 11, he made his debut for the Rossoneri in an away match against Cesena. In this match, Ibra scored an unrealized penalty, hitting the post. However, starting from the second round, the Swedish striker began to hit the opponents' gates on a regular basis. On November 14, he became the author of the only goal in the Milan derby, hitting the gates of Inter in the 67th minute.

This season, Zlatan received another disqualification, this time for a deliberate blow to the stomach. Milan managed to secure the league title this season, and Ibra managed to become the national champion for the eighth time in a row with five different clubs. In the 2011/12 season, Zlatan interrupted his streak. This season marked the beginning of the downfall of the great AC Milan. Having won the Italian Super Cup, Milan did not start very confidently in Serie A. However, this season was one of the most successful for the Swede himself - he scored 28 goals in 32 games and became the top scorer of the championship. At the same time, Ibra was disqualified three times, setting his personal record.

Ibrahimovic at PSG

The summer of 2012 was marked by a total sale in the Milan club. On July 17, 2012, Ibrahimovic moved to Paris Saint-Germain for 20 million euros. At the same time, the player himself achieved an annual salary of 14 million euros. It is worth noting that with this transfer, Ibrahimovic set a world record, becoming the most expensive player in the history of football, if we take into account all the transitions from club to club. In total, Zlatan's teams spent 171 million euros on him. Zlatan himself was very pleased with his move to the camp of the Parisian team, noting that he was glad to be part of this interesting project.

On August 11, 2012, Zlatan made his debut in the first round match against Lorient, scoring a brace within half an hour of the game (2-2). Two more matches later, Zlatan scored a double against Lille, and PSG achieved their first victory in the championship. Despite such a weak start, “the Parisian club managed to justify the investment and won the title of champion of France. Zlatan scored 30 goals in 33 matches, becoming the top scorer in the championship. Three more goals came in the Champions League, in which PSG reached the quarter-finals, losing to Barcelona on away goals.

In the 2013/14 season, Laurent Blanc took over the team, while Carlo Ancelotti left for Real Madrid. The Spanish edition of Marca reported that the Italian coach will try to lure Zlatan to the “creamy” camp. However, Zlatan himself said that he was not going to leave the Parisian club until he worked out the contract and won the Champions League with him. This season, Ibrahimovic played 33 matches on the field and scored 26 goals, becoming the top scorer in Ligue 1 for the second time in a row. In the summer of 2014, Zlatan refused to conclude a new agreement with the Parisians.

The new season at PSG began for Zlatan with a brace against Guingamp in the French Super Cup. In the French championship, he also scored a double in the first round against Toulouse. In September, the Swede flew out with a leg injury, and without him, the Parisian team began to show unsatisfactory results, ending up in third place in the League 1 standings by December. In the Champions League, PSG finished second in Group F and reached the playoffs of the tournament . December 16, 2014 Zlatan became the best player in Sweden for the eighth time in a row. PSG spent the second part of the season on a completely different level and the team became French champions. For Zlatan, this was the third championship in a row. The 2015/16 season was the most productive for Ibrahimovic, in 31 matches he scored 38 goals, becoming the top scorer in Ligue 1, and his team once again finished first in the championship. In May, Ibrahimovic shocked PSG by announcing that he would not renew his contract and would leave the club this summer.

"Manchester United"

On July 1, 2016, Ibrahimovic, as a free agent, signed a contract with Manchester United, which was headed by José Mourinho, who worked with the player at Inter. Zlatan played his debut game on August 7 in the FA Super Cup match against Leicester, where at the end of the meeting the Swede scored the winning goal and won the first trophy in the new championship. From the very first matches of the Premier League, Ibrahimovic fit perfectly into the new team and delighted the fans with goals scored. In the first half of the season, he played 19 matches in the championship, scored 13 goals and gave 3 assists.

International career of Zlatan Ibrahimovic

He made his way to the Swedish national team thanks to a great game for Ajax. Zlatan could play for the national teams of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, but in the end he preferred Sweden. On January 31, 2001, he played his first game as part of the Swedish squad against the Faroe Islands. At first, I played a little here, and scored the first goal in the autumn of the same year, hitting the gates of Azerbaijan.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic at the World Championships

The first World Cup for Ibrahimovic was held in 2002. Then he was only one of the options for a replacement and spent a couple of minutes on the field in fights against Argentina and Senegal. As part of the qualifying round for the 2006 World Cup, he scored the first poker for the national team against Malta. At the final tournament in Germany, Zlatan did not score, and his team again flew out at the 1/8 final stage from the championship hostess. Having missed the World Cup in South Africa, Ibrahimovic rashly announced his retirement from the national team, but then returned and took part in the qualifying campaign for the 2014 World Cup. Despite eight goals from the Swede in the group stage and another double in the play-offs against the Portuguese, the Swedes failed to make it to the final tournament.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic at the European Championships

Much more successful in Zlatan's career are European championships. Already at the 2004 European Championships, he became a key player in the Swedish national team, scoring two goals. One of them was scored in Ibra's trademark style - in flight, with a heel and ensured the team's entry into the quarterfinals. At Euro 2008, the Swedish striker scored two more goals, against the future champions of the Spaniards and the reigning European champions of the Greek team. However, the Swedish squad failed to get into the playoffs and left the tournament ahead of schedule. Finally, two more goals from Zlatan came in Euro 2012. He hit the gates of the French and Ukrainian teams. The ball in the duel against the French was recognized as the best in the tournament. Zlatan struck the rally after a hinged transfer from a partner and hit the right nine of the gates of Lloris.

After the Swedish national team failed to qualify for the 2016 European Championship, on June 22, 2016, Ibrahimovic announced his retirement from international football.

There were many other highlights in Zlatan's international career. On November 14, 2012, he scored a poker against the England team (4-2). The fourth goal of the Swede, scored with scissors from 32-35 meters, was recognized as the best goal of 2013, having received the Ferenc Puskas award. On September 4, 2014, Zlatan scored a double against the Estonian national team and officially became the national team's top scorer, overtaking the great Sven Rüdel.

Interesting facts from the biography of Zlatan Ibrahimovic

In honor of Zlatan, a new verb "zlatanera" has been introduced in Swedish, which literally means "to dominate, act with force";
Zlatan is the only player to have won eight titles in a row with five different clubs;
Ibrahimovic became the first striker to score in absolutely every minute of playing time;
He is also the only forward to score in Eurocups for six different clubs;
He is a black belt holder in Taekwondo. Thanks in large part to this, Zlatan has great builds, great technique and incredible goals;
He is a big fan of tattoos. By 2015, the Swede has nine different tattoos on his body, most of which are related to his personal life;
Zlatan was the highest paid football player in 2008. As of 2014, he is one of the top three highest paid players with an annual salary of $34 million per year;
He is an avid car aficionado. He owns the following supercars: Volvo C30 T5 RDesign, Ferrari 360-Spider, Ferrari Enzo, Maserati GranTurismo, Audi Q7, Audi S8 Quattro, Porsche Cayenne Turbo, Porsche Carrera GT;
He is one of the most recognizable people in Sweden. Zlatan regularly participates in various sports and cultural events. In May 2013, he opened the Eurovision Song Contest, held in his hometown of Malmö.
In 2011, he published his autobiography "I am Zlatan", written together with the famous Swedish writer David Lagercrantz;
In an interview with Eurosport, he admitted that he is a longtime fan of boxer Muhammad Ali;
He is an excellent polyglot, fluent in Swedish, Italian, English, Spanish and Bosnian;
Zlatan has many sponsorship deals. Among the long-term partners of the Swede is Nike. Together with Nike, Ibra built a stadium in the vicinity of Rosenborg that meets all European standards;
In Sweden, Zlatan is revered more than any other athlete or artist. His name is inscribed on the Swedish Football Walk of Fame. Stamps with the forward's portrait have been used since March 2013. Also, DJ Al Pach released a song called "My Name is Zlatan";

Achievements of Zlatan Ibrahimovic

"Malmo"

Swedish Second Division Champion: 1998/99

Dutch Champion: 2002, 2004
Vice-champion of the Netherlands: 2004
Dutch Cup Winner: 2002
Dutch Supercup Winner: 2003

Juventus

Italian Champion: 2005, 2006
Italian Super Cup finalist: 2005

"Internationale"

Italian Champion: 2007, 2008, 2009
Italian Super Cup winner: 2006, 2008
Italian Cup Final: 2007, 2008
Italian Super Cup finalist: 2007

"Barcelona"

Spanish Champion: 2010
Spanish Super Cup winner: 2009, 2010
UEFA Super Cup Winner: 2009
Club World Cup Winner: 2009

Italian Champion: 2011
Italian Super Cup Winner: 2011

"Paris Saint Germain"

French Champion: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
French Cup winner: 2015, 2016
French Super Cup winner: 2013, 2014, 2015
French League Cup winner: 2014, 2015, 2016

"Manchester United"

FA Super Cup Winner: 2016

Individual achievements of Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Serie A top scorer: 2008/09, 2012
Ligue 1 top scorer: 2013, 2014, 2016
Swedish Footballer of the Year: 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
Italian Footballer of the Year: 2007, 2008, 2010
The best player of the championship of France: 2013, 2014, 2016
UEFA Champions League Assistant of the Year: 2013
Record holder of the Swedish national team in the number of goals at the European Championships: 6 goals
Member of the symbolic team of the European Championship 2012 according to UEFA
Golden Foot Award Winner: 2012
FIFA Puskas Prize Winner: 2013
Member of the symbolic FIFA team: 2011, 2013;

One of the most formidable strikers of recent times, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, is still a bright and outstanding personality.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Country - Sweden.
Position - striker.
Born: October 3, 1981.
Height: 195 cm.
Weight: 95 kg.

Biography and career of a football player

Zlatan Ibrahimovic was born in the Swedish city of Malmö. His parents are from the former Yugoslavia: father Shefik is a Bosnian Muslim Slav, mother Yurka Gravich is Croatian, there were gypsies in his family. So it is quite difficult to determine the nationality of Ibrahimovic, as well as his religion. However, Zlatan himself professes Catholicism.

His parents divorced when Zlatan was two years old and the child stayed with his mother.

As a child, Zlatana played for a team where the children of Balkan emigrants played, where he was noticed by the representatives of Malmö. In addition to football, Ibrahimovic was engaged in martial arts - kickboxing, karate, taekwondo, which also affected his football technique. But I will return to this issue later.

"Malmo"

1999-2001

At the age of 12, Ibrahimovic was in the system of this football club, and five years later he made his debut for the main team. The debut could not be called successful - in six matches, Zlatan was able to distinguish himself only once, and Malmo for the first time in 63 years flew out of the top division of Swedish football.

However, the following year, 2000, Ibrahimovic became the main player in Malmö, and his 12 goals helped the club return to the elite. As a result, the coaching staff of Arsenal drew attention to Zlatan, inviting him to watch. It was then that the obstinate nature of the striker manifested itself - Ibra was outraged by the fact that they did not immediately conclude a contract with him and refused to go to London.

Ajax

2001-2004

But Ajax did not bargain, and laid out almost 8 million euros for the striker, which was a record for a football player from Sweden. This period of his career turned out to be quite successful: Ibrahimovic won two championships and the Dutch Cup with the Amsterdam team, and appeared in the main European club tournament. In the 2002-2003 Champions League draw, Ajax reached the quarter-finals, and Ibra's double against Lyon brought the club a difficult 2-1 victory and a ticket to the second group round.

In total, he scored 48 goals in 110 official matches for Ajax. One of them, scored in August 2004 in the Erdivize match, was recognized as the goal of 2004 - having beaten half the opponent's team, including the goalkeeper, the forward will roll the ball into an empty net.

While playing for Ajax, Ibra got his first long suspension - five matches for hitting an opponent with an elbow in the face.

Juventus

2004-2006

In August 2004, Zlatan Ibrahimovic moved to Juventus, who paid 16 million euros for his transfer. Already in the first season, Ibrahimovic becomes the team's top scorer in the championship, and Juve wins the Scudetto. The then coach of Juventus, Fabio Capello, claimed that in terms of the manner of playing, Ibrahimovic reminded him of the goals of which he showed the Swede as a visual aid.

However, the following year, Zlatan is ousted from the squad, who missed too many games due to injuries in the 2004-2005 season. Ibra becomes the champion of Italy for the second time in a row, but this time his contribution to the overall victory is less significant - only 10 goals in all tournaments.

Perhaps he would have stayed at the club, and, in the end, would have won the competition against Trezeguet, but the Calciopoli corruption scandal erupted and Juventus were sent to Serie B. Ibrahimovic didn't want to play there, and I can't blame him for that. Zlatan was young, full of energy, and he had nothing to do with Juventus, except for contractual obligations.

"Inter"

2006-2009

The results of Calciopoli were best used by Inter. He not only strengthened at the expense of Juventus (he moved to Milan together with Ibrahimovic), but also established his hegemony in Serie A for a long time.

It was in the Nerazzurri that Zlatan finally revealed himself as a world-class player. Powerful, physically strong, with a well-placed strike, he, at the same time, possessed excellent technique, in general, he was an ideal striker who could do everything on the field. And children's martial arts classes developed Ibrahimovic's excellent ability to control his body, and sometimes he scored goals from the most incredible positions.

Speaking about the style of his game, Ibrahimovic, with his usual modesty, coined the term "Zlatan Style".

At Inter, Zlatan scored a lot and consistently, and in the 2008-2009 season he became the top scorer in Serie A. Then Inter won the third Scudetto in a row (not counting the “technical” championship in 2006).

In general, Ibrahimovic was pleased with everything in the Milan club, with the exception of one thing - the team flew out of the Champions League over and over again long before the decisive stages.

"Barcelona"

2009-2010

It was the desire to win the Champions League, as many believed, that was the reason for Ibra's transfer to Barcelona, although the Catalans did not stand up for the price, paying about 50 million euros for the transfer and giving Inter the Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto'o.

During the year spent in Spain, Ibrahimovic won five trophies, constantly came out at the base, scoring 21 goals in 45 matches. But even after such a fantastic season, he left Barcelona after falling out with head coach Josep Guardiola. There's nothing to be done, Zlatan is already used to being the main star in the team, and at Barça he could not be one, if only because Leo Messi was there.

However, Ibrahimovic himself, as always, explained everything in his own way:

“How did Guardiola use me at Barcelona? Just imagine that you bought a Ferrari but drive it like a Fiat.

"Milan"

2010-2012

But in Milan, where Ibra moved on loan, the football player was appreciated, and Massimiliano Allegri fully trusted the Swedish striker. And he fully justified this trust - only in the championship Zlatan scored 14 goals and gave 11 assists.

Milan bought their leader from Barcelona, and the next season Ibrahimovic became the top scorer of the Italian championship with 28 goals. But this time, the Rossoneri fell short of the title, four points behind Juventus.

There is an interesting story according to which Zlatan Ibrahimovic's departure from Milan was influenced by his conversation with, who advised the Swede to change his hairstyle. Indeed, it is quite difficult to play in a club where the president interferes in such matters. However, I'm not sure about the authenticity of this story.

"Paris-Saint-Germain"

2012-2016

Qatari money came to Paris in 2011, but Paris-Saint-Germain, despite strong reinforcements, failed to win the league title. The then coach of the Parisians explained the need for the acquisition of Zlatan:

“Why do I need Ibrahimovic? It's simple - as long as I build the team, he will provide the result.

Papa Carlo looked into the water: in four years with Ibrahimovic, PSG established themselves as the hegemon of French club football, winning 12 national trophies, including four league titles. Zlatan himself became the top scorer of the French championship three times, and also became the top scorer in the history of PSG - 156 goals.

True, after a year and a half, Andison Cavani surpassed him in this indicator, but the Swede needed 180 matches for such a number of goals, and the Uruguayan - 229.

It is noteworthy that immediately after the departure of Ibrahimovic, Paris-Saint-Germain gave up the championship title, as well as. I don’t know if PSG could have won the Champions League then, but it certainly wouldn’t have left the tournament after a 4-0 home win. Zlatan would not allow it.

"Manchester United"

2016-2018

Before the start of the 2016-2017 season, Ibrahimovic moved to Manchester United as a free agent. He moved, in fact, for what he moved to PSG. José Mourinho was starting to build a new team, and there is simply no better player than Ibrahimovic to ensure current results.

Ibra once again did not disappoint - he regularly scored in all tournaments, becoming the team's top scorer (28 goals in 44 matches) and helped Manchester United win three cup tournaments: the League Cup, the Super Cup and the Europa League.

But only at the end of the season, the 35-year-old Swede was seriously injured - a torn ligament. 9 out of 10 football players at that age would stop playing with such an injury. But not Ibra! He trained mercilessly, forced recovery times, returned earlier than expected, and in his style commented on his return:

"It's just that lions recover faster than humans!"

And you know, I have no reason not to believe him.

However, shortly after that, in March 2018, Manchester United announced the termination of the contract with Zlatan Ibrahimovic. As sad as it is to state, the decision is quite logical – Romelu Lukaku played in the team during this time. Of course, in terms of improvisation and football intelligence, Ibra will give the Belgian 100 points ahead, but age, age.

And leaving Zlatan as a rotation player is fraught - it is not known how he would react to this, and given his authority and charisma, you can make big problems in the locker room.

"Los Angeles Galaxy"

2018–present

Almost immediately, it was announced that Ibrahimovic had signed a contract with Los Angeles Galaxy. The Swede greeted his new club in his own style: he bought a page in an authoritative publication « Los Angeles Times" (the 4th US newspaper in circulation), where he posted the inscription: "Dear Los Angeles. Welcome!” and put his autograph at the bottom.

Zlatan confirmed such a shocking start with deeds: in his debut match for the club against Los Angeles FC, he came on as a substitute in the 71st minute with a score of 1:3. Six minutes after appearing on the field (the score had already become 2:3 by that time), Ibrahimovic threw the goalkeeper with a chic kick from 35 meters, and already in stoppage time scored his second goal in the match, bringing Galaxy a 4:3 victory.

Sweden national team

2001-2016

Zlatan Ibrahimovic had a choice: he could play for the national teams of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Sweden. As a result, the choice fell on the latter - Zlatan Ibrahimovic played for Tre Krunur for a decade and a half, played 116 matches in which he scored 62 goals (a record figure).

In its composition, Zlatan took part in two world and four European championships, but only in half of them (World Cup 2002, Euro 2004 and World Cup 2006) did the Swedes manage to overcome the group stage.

Of his goals for the national team, two were personally particularly memorable: against Buffon at the 2004 European Championship, Ibrahimovic scored with a spectacular heel kick (this goal allowed the Swedes to reach the quarter-finals), and in a friendly match against England in November 2012, Ibra scored with a scissors kick over himself from outside the penalty area. By the way, in that match, he made "poker".

In June 2016, Zlatan Ibrahimovic announced his retirement from the Swedish national team. On the eve of the 2018 World Cup, information appeared that Zlatan Ibrahimovic was returning to the national team, but it turned out to be an ordinary “duck”.

Titles of Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Command

Two-time Dutch champion.
Dutch Cup Winner.
Dutch Super Cup winner.
Six times Italian champion.
Three-time winner of the Italian Super Cup.
Champion of Spain.
Two-time winner of the Spanish Super Cup.
Four-time French champion.
Two-time winner of the French Cup.
Three-time winner of the French League Cup.
Three-time winner of the French Super Cup.
English League Cup Winner.
English Super Cup Winner.
UEFA Super Cup Winner.
Europa League winner.
Club World Cup Winner.

Individual

The best football player in Sweden 2005, 2007 - 2016 (11 times).
Italian Footballer of the Year 2007, 2008 and 2010.
The best player of the championship of France in 2013, 2014 and 2016.
Top scorer of the Italian championship of the seasons 2008-2009 and 2011-2012.
The best scorer of the French championship of the seasons 2012-2013, 2013-2014, 2015-2016.

Family and personal life of Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Zlatan Ibrahimovic's wife, Swedish actress and fashion model Helen Seger, is 11 years older than him. The couple has two sons, Maximilian and Vincent.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic quotes

In the course of my story, I have already referred to Ibra's quotes, but since the Swede never went into his pocket for a word, I considered it necessary to devote a separate section to his statements.

This is how Zlatan reacted to a journalist's question about his alleged non-traditional sexual orientation:

“Baby, come to my house, and don’t forget to bring your sister with you. I'll show you who's gay!"

About myself, beloved:

"I can play eleven positions because a good player can play anywhere."

How Zlatan saw himself:

“Who could I compare myself to? With Muhammad Ali. When he said that the opponent would lay down in the fourth round, he did it.

On Lionel Messi and his Ballon d'Ors:

"Yes, Messi already has four Ballon d'Ors, but I can easily buy candy from a machine without stepping on the box."

About prankster Balotelli:

"Balotelli told me:" I'm cooler than you. I thought he was joking. And he really thought so ... ".

And such a “modest”, as usual, speech, Zlatan pushed at a celebration dedicated to the inclusion of his name in the Walk of Fame of his hometown of Malmö:

“This is a huge honor for me, it means that I have done something important during my career. Usually they say we can't be legends until we die, but I'm a living legend - at least in Malmö."

A pikirovochka with about who is the coolest in Manchester;

"Eric Cantona was the King of Manchester, and I will be his God!"

On how he made his wife happy:

What will I get my wife for her birthday? Why give her something? She also has Zlatan.

Well, I’ll finish with Zlatan’s pearl after the Swedish team didn’t make it to the 2014 World Cup:

“Without me, there will be no one to watch at this World Cup, so you can not watch it at all.”

As a child, Zlatan had to endure the attacks of peers who teased him because of his big nose.
And as a child, Ibra wanted to become a hockey player, which is very important for Sweden, but his parents did not have enough money for expensive ammunition. Still, football is a very accessible sport!
Ibrahimovic is the only player to have scored in the Champions League for six teams and seven in UEFA club competition.

Another unique record of Zlatan is that he scored on his debut matches in the championships of England, Spain, Italy, France, the USA and in the Champions League.
In terms of the number of red cards in the last named tournament, Ibrahimovic shares the first place with the Dutchman - 4 each.
The Swede has never been distinguished by restraint on the field - in his career, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has repeatedly sorted out relations with rivals, and sometimes it came to fights.
For eight years in a row (from 2004 to 2011), Zlatan Ibrahimovic has consistently become the national champion with Ajax, Juventus, Inter, Barcelona and Milan. If not for a misfire with Milan in the 2011-2012 season, the number of consecutive championships won by Ibrahimovic would have been 13, because. after that, he became French champions four times in a row as part of PSG.
Ibrahimović's goal against CSKA Moscow in a Champions League match in November 2005 was used in the intros of the tournament's matches.
"Zlatanera" - this new word appeared in the Swedish language because of Zlatan and means "total domination".

"I am Zlatan" is the name of the footballer's autobiographical book, co-authored with David Lagerkrantz.
"Zlatan. The Beginning is a documentary film about a football player.
Ibrahimovic is a big car lover, he has more than a dozen expensive cars in his collection.
He also loves tattoos, they are on the body of Ibra (on the arms, on the back, on the stomach) 11. One of the tattoos is a kind of “family code” of Ibrahimovic - the dates of birth of the father, brothers and sons of the football player are indicated on the wrist.
Within the framework of the World Food Program, Zlatan Ibrahimovic takes an active part in the fight against hunger.
In January 2014, Zlatan Ibrahimovic's boots were sold at a charity auction for 22,000 euros. Zlatan donated all the proceeds from the auction (other things of the forward were also sold there) to the fund for helping sick children.
In Malmo, the name of Ibrahimovic is immortalized on the city Walk of Fame.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is fluent in five languages: Swedish, Bosnian, English, Spanish and Italian.
The musical group "Sanjin & Youthman" wrote and performed a rather popular song about Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

In 2017, Zlatan Ibrahimovic became the hero of a computer game where he performs feats in space.
Ibrahimovic is also known as a perfumer - in 2015 he created a line of perfumes for men, which, of course, he called "Zlatan".
Ibrahimovic also launched his own sportswear brand, A-Z.
Contrary to popular belief, Zlatan Ibrahimovic does not have a black belt in taekwondo, karate or any other type of martial arts. More precisely, there is a belt, but Zlatan received it not for sports merit, but as a gift from the Italian taekwondo player Mauro Sarmiento.

Well, now Zlatan pleases the overseas audience with his game. I wonder what he will do after he finally quits football?