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Manchester United the only club left to tempt Zlatan Ibrahimovic ...

Football.co.uk - Found Jul. 3, 2009
Zlatan Ibrahimovic's last hope of escaping Inter Milan this summer rest in the hands of Manchester United. Carry on, Zlatan: Ibrahimovic looks set ...

Posted on July 3, 2009, 3:30 am

Football: Real make Ronaldo the world's highest-paid player

AFP via Yahoo! - Found Jun. 26, 2009
Ronaldo's deal will see him move ahead of current soccer salary king, Inter Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who currently earns 12 million...
Real make Ronaldo the world's highest-paid player - AFP via Yahoo!
Ronaldo completes record transfer to Real Madrid - Reuters Canada
Ronaldo completes record transfer to Real Madrid - Reuters UK
United and Real Madrid agree terms to end Ronaldo saga - The Scotsman
Explore All

The Sun

Posted on June 26, 2009, 4:09 am

Inter Milan willing to sell Zlatan Ibrahimovic for right price - ...

ESPNsoccernet - Found Jun. 21, 2009
Inter willing to sell Ibrahimovic for right price Reuters Inter Milan are willing to sell Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic for the right price, the ...

Posted on June 21, 2009, 2:21 am

Inter Milan let julio Cruz leave, coy over Zlatan Ibrahimovic - ...

ESPNsoccernet - Found Jun. 12, 2009
... defender Marco Materazzi's contract had been extended to 2012. Uncertainty surrounds restless striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic but reports that a...

Posted on June 12, 2009, 1:17 pm

Chelsea most likley club to sign Zlatan Ibrahimovic according to ...

Telegraph - Found Jun. 22, 2009
Chelsea are likely to lead the race to sign Zlatan Ibrahimovic after Inter Milan's president Massimo Moratti said the club would be forced to sell if ...

Posted on June 22, 2009, 5:19 am

Inter boss Jose Mourinho expecting Zlatan Ibrahimovic to stay

Hamilton Spectator - Found Jun. 17, 2009
MILAN - Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho doesn't expect star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic to leave the club this off-season.

Posted on June 17, 2009, 11:56 am

Jose Mourinho respect for ''ambitious'' Zlatan Ibrahimovic - Europe

ESPNsoccernet - Found May. 2, 2009
Mourinho respect for ''ambitious'' Ibrahimovic Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho believes Zlatan Ibrahimovic's desire to win is what makes him the

Posted on May 2, 2009, 9:11 am

Zlatan Ibrahimovic on Inter Channel

Inter.it - Found Apr. 17, 2009
APPIANO GENTILE - Zlatan Ibrahimovic previewed Saturday evening's clash between Inter and Juventus in an exclusive interview for Inter Channel

Posted on April 17, 2009, 2:47 am

Ibrahimovic linked with United move

Metro.co.uk - Found 18 hours ago
Manchester United are considering a move for Inter Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, according to reports in the Italian press.

Posted on July 3, 2009, 9:42 am

Manchester United the only club left to tempt Ibrahimovic from Inter ...

Football.co.uk - Found 23 hours ago
Zlatan Ibrahimovic's last hope of escaping Inter Milan this summer rest in the hands of Manchester United. Carry on, Zlatan: Ibrahimovic looks set ...

Posted on July 3, 2009, 4:46 am

Zlatan Ibrahimovic Biography

Zlatan Ibrahimovic
extracted from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, distributed under the GNU Free Documentation License

Zlatan Ibrahimović
Personal information
Date of birth October 3, 1981 (1981-10-03) (age 27)
Place of birth Malmö, Sweden
Height 1.92 m (6 ft 3+12 in)1
Playing position Striker
Club information
Current club Internazionale
Number 8
Youth career
1987–1991 Malmö Anadolu
1989–1995 Balkan
1995–1999 Malmö
Senior career1
Years Club Apps (Gls)2
1999–2001 Malmö 40 (16)
2001–2004 Ajax 74 (35)
2004–2006 Juventus 70 (23)
2006– Internazionale 88 (57)
National team3
2001 Sweden U-21 07 0(6)
2001– Sweden 56 (21)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 2 May 2009.

2 Appearances (Goals)

3 National team caps and goals correct as of 15 March 2009.

Zlatan Ibrahimović (born 3 October 1981 in Rosengård, Malmö) is a Swedish football striker of Bosnian2 and Croatian2 descent who plays for Italian Serie A club Internazionale and the Swedish national team. As of February 2009, Ibrahimović, along with Kaká, are the highest salaried football players in the world.3 Ibrahimović won the Capocannonieri on 31 May 2009 with 25 domestic goals during the season.

Contents

Early life

Ibrahimović was born to a Bosniak father, Sefik, and a Croatian mother, Jurka,2 who emigrated to Sweden, where they first met. Ibrahimović grew up in Rosengård, a Malmö neighbourhood known for its immigrant communities. After receiving his football boots, Ibrahimović began playing football at the age of eight, alternating between local junior clubs Malmö Anadolu BI and FBK Balkan45 While in his early teens, he was a regular in his hometown club Malmö FF.6 At the age of 15, Ibrahimović was close in quitting his football career, but his manager convinced him to continue play.7 Ibrahimović successfully completed junior high school in the ninth grade, and though he was admitted to Borgarskolan, he soon dropped out of high school to focus on his football career.

Club career

Malmö FF

Ibrahimović signed his first contract with his hometown club Malmö FF in 1996, and moved up to the senior side for the 1999 season of Allsvenskan, Sweden's top-flight league. That season, Malmö finished 13th in the league and were relegated to the second division, but returned to the top flight the next season. Arsenal coach Arsène Wenger unsuccessfully tried to persuade Ibrahimović to join, while AFC Ajax coach Leo Beenhakker also expressed interest in the player after watching him in a training match against Norwegian side Moss FK On March 22, 2001, a deal between Ajax and Malmö regarding Ibrahimović's transfer to Amsterdam was announced, and in July, Ibrahimović officially joined Ajax for €7.8 million.8

Ajax

Ibrahimović received little playing time under manager Co Adriaanse, but when Adriaanse was sacked on 29 November 2001, new coach Ronald Koeman inserted Ibrahimović into the starting lineup as Ajax won the 2001-02 Eredivisie title. The next season, Ibrahimović scored twice in a 2-1 victory over perennial French champions Olympique Lyonnais in his Champions League debut on 17 September 2002. He scored four Champions League goals overall as Ajax fell to AC Milan in the quarter-finals. In his final season with Ajax, Ibrahimović's profile rose when he scored a breath-taking goal against NAC Breda on 22 August 2004, a goal that was eventually voted the "Goal of the Year" by Eurosport viewers.9 He netted only once in the 2003-04 Champions League (against Celta de Vigo on 22 October) as Ajax were eliminated in the group stage.

On 18 August 2004, Ibrahimović injured fellow Ajax teammate Rafael van der Vaart during an international match against the Netherlands, which led to accusations from van der Vaart that Ibrahimović had hurt him intentionally. This led to Ibrahimović's sudden sale to Juventus on 31 August.10

Juventus

Ibrahimović moved from Ajax to Juventus for a €19 million transfer fee. He was promptly inserted into the starting eleven due in part to top scorer David Trezeguet's injury problems, and scored sixteen goals. Near the end of the season, Juventus reportedly rejected a €70 million bid for him from Real Madrid, which was later revealed to be a publicity stunt initiated by Ibrahimović's agent, Mino Raiola, in order to increase his market value.9 On 14 November 2005, he was awarded the Guldbollen, a prize awarded to the best Swedish footballer of the year.11

The following season was poor compared to his first season; his role in Juventus' attack changed, as he became less of a goalscorer and moved more to the sidelines, taking much part in the build-up play, especially as a target player, and his assist numbers increased. In the 2005-06 season, Juventus fans often got frustrated with him due to his anonymous presence in certain important games such as the Champions League defeat to Arsenal. Juventus were stripped of their last two Scudetti as part of the verdict from the Calciopoli scandal, and were relegated to Serie B. The new staff tried to persuade Ibrahimović and other top players to stay with Juventus, but the player and his agent were adamant to move on, with Raiola threatening legal action in order to extricate Ibrahimović from his contract.12

Internazionale

Ibrahimović and Mario Balotelli against Palermo 2009.

Ibrahimović signed a four-year contract with Internazionale for € 12 million a year on 10 August 2006.13 He revealed that Inter was his favourite club when he was young, and that Ronaldo was his favourite player. He started his spell at the club by scoring one goal and assisting another in a league match against Fiorentina and ended his first season as Inter's top goalscorer with 15 goals.

Ibrahimović played his 100th Serie A match on 16 September 2007. He scored two Champions League goals in the group stage against PSV on 2 October, which marked his first European goals since December 2005 and his first goals overall in an Inter jersey, and finished with five goals in seven Champions League matches. Against Parma FC in the final league matchday on 18 May 2008, he returned from a chronic knee injury and scored both goals as Inter won 2-0, clinching their third straight Scudetto.

On 16 November 2008, Ibrahimović said that he would not return to the Allsvenskan of Sweden as an active player, but he would stay the rest of his active career as a player abroad.

Ibrahimović's 2008-09 season started brilliantly, hitting the back of the net in Inter's first league match. His goal against Bologna FC was voted "Goal of the Year." He scored it with his heel without moving and accurately into the net from a cross by the Brazilian Adriano.14 Ibrahimović's form this season has so far been eye-catching, with clever movement off and on the ball, and his passing has been outstanding, such as his acrobatic pass against SS Lazio [1]. He ended a month long goal drought against Genoa CFC, handing them their first home loss of the season, making Inter the only team not to lose at home in the league. In the final league game of the season, Ibrahimović scored twice against Atalanta, securing the Capocannoniere for himself by finishing one goal ahead of Marco di Vaio and Diego Milito.

International career

Playing for Sweden.

Ibrahimović debuted for Sweden in a goalless friendly match against the Faroe Islands on 31 January 2001. His first competitive match was a 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan on 7 October. Ibrahimović was part of Sweden's 2002 World Cup finals squad who were eliminated in the round of 16 by newcomers Senegal.

Ibrahimović was a fixture in the starting lineup for Euro 2004, scoring a penalty against Bulgaria and rounding off a fine performance against the solid defense of Italy by scoring a late equaliser. However, he missed a penalty as Sweden were sent home following a shootout loss to the Netherlands. He went scoreless during the 2006 World Cup finals as Sweden were again snuffed out in the round of 16, this time by Germany.

He was called up for a Euro 2008 qualifier against Liechtenstein on 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 a nightclub. Though none of the players consumed any alcohol, they were nonetheless all sent home by coach Lars Lagerbäck as punishment and did not take part in the match. Mellberg and Wilhelmsson did not appeal the coach's decision, but Ibrahimović felt that it was unjust and therefore refused to take part in Sweden's next qualifiers against Iceland and Spain. He also skipped a friendly against Egypt on 7 February 2007, but ended his self-imposed boycott a month later,15 and returned for Sweden's loss to Northern Ireland on 28 March. He went scoreless in all 12 qualifying matches; his one goal was disallowed for offside in a 3-0 loss to Spain on 17 November. On 12 November 2007, Ibrahimović was awarded the 2007 Swedish Golden Ball as the "Country's Top Player of the Year."

Ibrahimović 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, only the second player to breach the starting back four. He finished the tournament with the two goals as Sweden were eliminated in the group stage by Russia.

Career statistics

Club performance League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Sweden League Svenska Cupen Europe Total
1999 Malmö Allsvenskan 6 1 - - 6 1
2000 Superettan 26 12 - - 26 12
2001 Allsvenskan 8 3 - - 8 3
Netherlands League KNVB Cup Europe Total
2001-02 Ajax Eredivisie 24 6 3 0 6 2 33 8
2002-03 25 13 3 3 13 5 41 21
2003-04 22 13 1 0 6 2 29 15
2004-05 3 3 - - 3 3
Italy League Coppa Italia Europe Total
2004-05 Juventus Serie A 35 16 0 0 10 0 45 16
2005-06 35 7 2 0 9 3 46 10
2006-07 Internazionale Serie A 27 15 2 0 7 0 36 15
2007-08 26 17 1 0 7 5 34 22
2008-09 35 25 3 3 8 1 46 29
Total Sweden 40 16 - - 40 16
Netherlands 74 35 7 3 25 9 106 47
Italy 156 80 7 2 41 9 202 91
Career Total 270 131 14 5 66 18 348 154

International goals

  • Sweden score first

Honours

Ajax

Internazionale

Individual

References

  1. ^ "Ibrahimovic Zlatan bio". Inter Milan. http://www.inter.it/aas/squadra/player1?codgioc=G0805&L=en&stagione=2008/09. Retrieved on 2008-12-26. 
  2. ^ a b c Hawkey, Ian (2005-12-11). "The Big Interview: Zlatan Ibrahimović". The Sunday Times. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article757217.ece. Retrieved on 2009-04-13. 
  3. ^ "The 50 highest salaries of football players 2008/2009". www.futebolfinance.com. http://www.futebolfinance.com/en/os-50-maiores-salarios-de-jogadores-de-futebol-20082009/. Retrieved on 2009-02-11. 
  4. ^ "Zlatan Ibrahimović". Evolvia. http://www.evolvia.se/ZlatanIbrahimovi%C4%87/tabid/54/Default.aspx.. Retrieved on 2009-05-28.  (Swedish)
  5. ^ "»Rosenberg - för mig är han högerback«". Sydsvenskan. http://sydsvenskan.se/sport/article96251/raquoRosenberg---for-mig-ar-han-hogerbacklaquo.html. Retrieved on 2009-05-28.  (Swedish)
  6. ^ "»Rosenberg - för mig är han högerback«". Sydsvenskan. http://sydsvenskan.se/sport/article96251/raquoRosenberg---for-mig-ar-han-hogerbacklaquo.html. Retrieved on 2009-05-28.  (Swedish)
  7. ^ Jönsson, Jan (2001-06-23). "Så blev Zlatan stor". Sydsvenskan. http://sydsvenskan.se/sport/article6845.ece. Retrieved on 2009-05-28.  (Swedish)
  8. ^ Historien om MFF - mff.se retrieved on December 7 2008
  9. ^ a b Career - Zlatanibrahimovic.net retrieved on December 7, 2008
  10. ^ Player Profile: Rafael van der Vaart - realmadridzone.com retrieved on December 7 2008
  11. ^ Guldbollen 2005 till Zlatan Ibrahimovic - svenskfotboll.se retrieved on December 7 2008
  12. ^ Ibrahimovic set to take legal action to escape from Juve - The independent retrieved on December 7 2008
  13. ^ "JUVE SLAP £25m PRICE TAG ON ZLATAN". sportinglife.com. http://www.sportinglife.com/football/overseas/italy/news/story_get.dor?STORY_NAME=international_feed/06/08/08/SOCCER_Ita-Juventus_Ibrahimovic.html&TEAMHD=italy. Retrieved on 25 September 2006. 
  14. ^ "Allsvenskan lockar inte Zlatan" (in Swedish). Aftonbladet.se. 2008-11-16. http://www.aftonbladet.se/sportbladet/fotboll/allsvenskan/article3785909.ab. Retrieved on 2008-11-17. 
  15. ^ "Ibrahimović agrees to return to Sweden side". ESPNsoccernet. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=411884&campaign=rss&source=soccernet&cc=5739. Retrieved on 2 March 2007. 

External links