Zlatan Ibrahimovic has offered insights into a wide range of topics including his childhood, Mino Raiola’s illness, his spell at Barcelona and Lionel Messi’s move to the MLS.
The football legend started by reminiscing about his childhood, describing how he was an energetic child who loved playing football.
“I got into a lot of trouble, like all kids. I was always playing football wherever I went,” he said in an interview with journalist Luigi Garlando at La Gazzetta della Sport’s ‘Festival della Sport’.
“I had the ball with me all the time and played football, even though everyone told me I had no talent. It was my energy, my adrenaline. I did things that you shouldn’t do, but you learn and grow.”
Ibrahimovic and his relationship with Raiola
The interview took a poignant turn when Ibrahimovic discussed his agent and friend Mino Raiola’s battle with illness. He revealed that he stood by Raiola during his challenging last days and offered him positivity and energy.
“I was with Mino almost every day in his final stage,” he noted.
“It wasn’t easy. It’s tough when you see someone struggling. There was a lot of emotion. I wanted to take his mind off his illness, so I brought him energy and positivity instead of talking about his illness.
“He always thought about others and not himself. It was always about the players, they came first, and then him. That’s how it was in the last months. He put me before everyone else and not himself. He told me to do what makes me happy. He was very strong, very strong.”
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Barcelona move was a dream
Discussing his time at Barcelona, Ibrahimovic revealed that it was a dream come true for him. He viewed Barcelona as the best team globally and wanted to prove himself on such a stage.
“Going to Barcelona was a dream,” he stressed.
“Everyone was talking about Barcelona. I thought that if I could play there, I’d be in the best team in the world. When Barcelona called me, I was excited. I had given my best at Inter.
“I wanted to grow even more and face other challenges to understand and test myself, it was a challenge with myself.
“Playing in one place your whole life is fine, but I wanted to see how far I could go. In the first six months at Barcelona, well, well… in the last six months, my way of thinking changed.
“I didn’t do much on the field, but in my mind, I became stronger. You have to go through tough times to become stronger. If it’s always ‘wow,’ then when the blow comes, you’re not ready to get out of the difficult moment.”
Ibra’s joke for MLS fans
As for Messi’s move to the MLS, Ibrahimovic didn’t hesitate to joke about American fans.
“I’m happy for them,” he noted.
“They can watch soccer again. When I left, they started watching baseball.”