Chapter -1: Zlatan Ibrahimovic Career Complete Data (Serious Spoiler Alert)
[Basic Information]
Name: Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Nationality: Sweden
Birthday: 3rd October 1981
[Transfer Records]
2001: Moved from Malmö FF to AFC Ajax for a fee of €7.8 million. 2004: Moved from Ajax to Juventus for €16 million. 2006: Moved from Juventus to Inter Milan for €24.8 million. 2009: Moved from Inter Milan to Barcelona for a fee of €69.5 million. 2010: Loaned from Barcelona to AC Milan with an option to buy. 2011: AC Milan signed Ibrahimović permanently from Barcelona for €24 million. 2012: Moved from AC Milan to Paris Saint-Germain for €21 million. 2016: Moved from Paris Saint-Germain to Manchester United on a free transfer. 2018: Moved from Manchester United to the Los Angeles Galaxy on a free transfer. 2020: Moved from Los Angeles Galaxy to AC Milan on a free transfer. 2023: Retired from professional football.
[Club Career]
Paris SG
180
156
62
AC Milan
163
93
35
Inter
117
66
29
Ajax
110
48
17
Juventus
92
26
19
LA Galaxy
58
53
15
Man Utd
53
29
10
Barcelona
46
22
13
Malmö FF
8
3
3
[National Team Career]
National team
Debut
Coach at debut
Age at debut
Sweden
Jan 31, 2001
122
62
Lars Lagerbäck
19 years 03 months 28 days
Sweden U21
Mar 23, 2001
7
6
Göran Göransson
19 years 05 months 20 days
Sweden U18
Apr 27, 1999
4
1
17 years 06 months 24 days
[European Ballon d'Or]: 2 times
2004 and 2005
[FIFA Ballon d'Or]: 3 times
2012, 2015, 2017
[FIFA World Cup Champion]: 1 time
2006
[Euro Cup Champion]: 1 time
2007
[UEFA Best Player Award) 6 times
2005, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2016
[European Golden Boot]: 15 times
2001-2002 to 2017-2018
[FIFA World Cup Golden Ball]: 2 times
2006, 2014
[FIFA World Cup Golden Boot]: 2 times
2013, 2015
[UEFA Champions League Champion]: 2 times
2008-2009 to 2015-2016
[UEFA Europa League Champion]: 2 times
2002-2003 (Juventus), 2017-2018 (Man U)
[FIFA Club World Cup Champion]: 3 times
2013-2014 to 2017-2018
[Toyota Cup Champion]: 2 times
2003-2004 (Inter Milan), 2004-2005 (Inter Milan)
[UEFA Super Cup Champion]: 3 times
[UEFA Champions League Season Best Player]: 2 times
[UEFA Champions League Season Top Scorer]: 2 times
[Eredivisie League Champion]: 2 time
[Eredivisie League Champion]: 1 time
[Italian Serie A Champion]: 3 times
[Italian Cup Champion]: 3 times
[Italian Super Cup Champion]: 2 times
[Italian Serie A Golden Boot]: 3 times
[Italian Serie A Season Best Player]: 2 times
[Italian Cup Season Top Scorer]: 2 times
[Spanish La Liga Champion]: 2 times
[Spanish King's Cup Champion]: 2 times
[Spanish Super Cup Champion]: 2 times
[Spanish La Liga Golden Boot]: 1 time
[Spanish La Liga Season Best Player]: 1 time
[English Premier League Champion]: 2 times
[English FA Cup Champion]: 1 time
[English League Cup Champion]: 2 times
[English Community Shield Champion]: 2 times
[English Premier League Golden Boot]: 2 times
[English Premier League Season Best Player]: 2 times
[FA Cup Season Top Scorer]: 1 time
[French Ligue 1 Champion]: 3 times
2013-2014 to 2015-2016 (Paris Saint-Germain)
[French Cup Champion]: 2 times
[French Super Cup Champion]: 2 times
[French Ligue 1 Golden Boot]: 4 time
[French Ligue 1 Season Best Player]: 1 time
[Significant Career Records]
Eredivisie single-season goal record holder -
Italian Serie A single-season goal record holder -
Spanish La Liga single-season goal record holder -
English Premier League single-season goal record holder -
UEFA Champions League single-season goal record holder -
UEFA Champions League all-time goal record holder -
UEFA Champions League all-time assist record holder -
Single World Cup goal record holder -
Helped Ajax win the club's first UEFA Cup
Helped Inter Milan retain the original UEFA Champions League trophy (can be retained after winning five championships before 2009)
Helped Barcelon win two consecutive league Champions League titles
Helped Manchester City establish a dynasty with two consecutive league titles
Helped Paris Saint-Germain establish a dynasty with three consecutive league titles and win the club's first UEFA Champions League trophy
CHAPTER ONE: Arrival of the Young Cub
In September 1989, in a large park in the city of Malmö BI in the southernmost part of Sweden, a boy with olive skin and dark eyes was sweating profusely and bouncing a football. His technique was very good, and he often make the ball stick to his feet due to the rugged patch of stones, pebble across the street to prevent him from falling, but he kept practising non-stop.
Passers-by around him cast surprised glances at him, but he didn't seem to notice it just he was too focused of been the best in his age group in Malmö BI.
This young man is Swedish, named Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He is just 6 years old this year. Just a few months ago, he watched his both parent fighting, trying to take a breather fell in love with the sport hoping to join a team and earn some money.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic family has a lot of difficulties. His mother was an immigrant cleaner and house care worker, while his father an alcoholic. He and his elder sister and elder brother were raised by their mother alone. He came out to play football so as to earn money to help his family.
It was only when he arrived in Malmo FF that Zlatan Ibrahimovich realized that his little football skills were nothing compare to elite athletes who had been trained since childhood. He could not reach the level of the second team of the Swedish second division team, even though he trained very hard with the team. He's working hard to get better, but he hasn't been acknowledged and trusted by the coaching team, and he hasn't played on the field yet.
The team manager made it clear that if Zlatan Ibrahimovic cannot fit himself into the tactical system of the team significantly before the winter transfer window, his contract won't be renewed. If it isn't renewed, he'll be left with no option but to be kicked out.
After stumbling and finishing 500 ball turnover, Zlatan Ibrahimovic wiped his sweat. Suddenly, he felt lightheaded. He then lost consciousness.
When he woke up again, he saw a middle-aged man squatting next to him, calling him constantly: "Wake up, are you okay, do you need me to call an ambulance?"
Zlatan asked what happened, the middle-aged man replied: "I saw that you passed out suddenly, so I hurried over to check, are you okay?"
Zlatan Ibrahimovic waved his hand and felt his physical condition.
'I just feel a little tired and dehydrated, but I won't go into a coma because of it. Could it be that I'm malnourished because I eat very sparingly recently?'
When he bounced the ball again, the toe of his right foot touched the ball. A mysterious feeling came over him called the zone, as if telling him that the angle of contact with the ball was wrong, and the force was a bit too strong. Sure enough, the ball went sideways and feel down on the floor.
Seeing that Zlatan Ibrahimovic was unharmed, the middle-aged man left. He still planned to continue training. No matter how unsuccessful he was, at least he was trying hard.
When he bounced the ball again, the toe of his right foot touched the ball. A mysterious feeling came over him which is sometime referred as the Zone, as if telling him that the angle of contact with the ball was wrong, and the force was a bit too strong. Sure enough, the ball went sideways and feel down on the floor.
He stared blankly at the ball slowly rolling away, and was very surprised in his heart.
To see if he was right, he picked up the ball and continued to juggle with it. Every time he touches the football, Zlatan Ibrahimovich can feel whether the starting force is good or bad, as if his thought process can calculate the result in an instant and then feeds it back to his muscle memory instantly.
Gradually, Zlatan Ibrahimovich movements became more and more standard, and the strength and angle became more and more suitable. The ball went up and down on his toes, his movements becoming more and more coherent.
This superb footwork also attracted the attention of the surrounding tourists. They gradually gathered together, wanting to see how many moves Wang Feng could make.
It was only when Zlatan Ibrahimovich juggled 300 times in a row that he felt his legs were a little sore, and he felt that he needed to take a pause, so he stopped. At this time, the crowd burst into cheers and applause.
A man came out and asked with a smile: "Your skills are excellent, are you a professional player?"
After learning that Wang Feng was a player from Malmo youth training, he was obviously a little surprised, and praised: "It's really rare for someone to have such solid basic skills at this age."
Hearing someone say that, made him realize that his ball-juggling skills seem to have improved a lot.
The man handed Zlatan Ibrahimovich a business card. He turned out to be Steen Olsen, a scout from Genk Club in Belgium. Ajax is a veteran team in the Eredivisie First Division.
Their current record is not good, only ranked 5th, and they are still far from the goal of the Championship League. Of course, he would not tell Zlatan Ibrahimovic this information, but just told him that he was very optimistic about him and hoped to see him in a game.
Hearing this, Zlatan Ibrahimovic couldn't help but smile wryly in his heart. It would be great if he could play, but he still took the business card solemnly, thanked him for his compliment, and then decided to proceed to the next training session. Steen Olsen linger to watch him train; instead, he offered a smile of encouragement before taking time to train with him to unearthed other ability from the kid.
Next, Zlatan focused on dribbling, an area where his raw power often overshadowed his finesse. But today was different. Each touch provided instant feedback, allowing him to make minute adjustments to his footwork.
The ball seemed glued to his feet as he ran, an extension of his own body. He accelerated, his long strides eating up the ground, the ball moving in perfect synchronicity. His speed, always a key attribute, felt amplified by this newfound control.
A surge of exhilaration coursed through him. He even considered attempting a bicycle kick, but the moment his body contorted, a jolt of awkwardness shot through his mind. His trailing leg tangled, and he crashed to the muddy ground. He lay there for a moment, winded.
Still got work to do, he thought, pushing himself back up.
He didn't understand the change in his body. The lightheadedness was the only explanation, and it didn't feel like a curse. It was as if his footballing senses had been sharpened, the intuitive understanding of how to play football that had eluded him was now within his grasp.
As darkness enveloped the park, Zlatan picked up his ball and began the short walk back to the dormitory. The club's basic accommodation was close by, making the park his regular after-hours training ground.
Reaching the dormitory entrance, he saw a tall teammate locked in a passionate embrace with a girl. Seeing Zlatan, he gave the girl a playful pat on the leg.
"Hey, Zlatan, more training?" the teammate asked.
It was Nils-Eric Johansson, Ajax's backup left-back, a player whose Swedish flair sometimes clashed with the rigid footballing philosophy. He couldn't comprehend Zlatan's relentless dedication.
Zlatan simply nodded, accustomed to the revolving door of girls around Nils-Eric.
Nil-Eric clapped Zlatan on the shoulder. "Come on, brother, you need to live a little! Besides training, there's more to life."
He lowered his voice conspiratorially. "Heard our main striker is out injured. Apparently, the other backup isn't cutting it. If you can show something special in training tomorrow, you might actually get a chance in the squad."
A spark ignited within Zlatan. Malmo FF was a small club, and opportunities were hard-earned. He and the other reserve striker had been overlooked. But now, with this unexpected surge in his abilities, a door seemed to have creaked open.
He gave Nil-Eric a curt nod, a rare smile playing on his lips. "Thanks for the heads-up. I won't waste this chance."
Nil-Eric, despite his carefree attitude, had been a surprising source of support. Nil-Eric easygoing nature had helped Zlatan navigate his initial days in Malmo.