Charismatic and straightforward can be the two best adjectives to describe the Swedish striker, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Born in 1981 in the quaint city of Malmo in Sweden, Ibrahimovic is one of the most decorated footballers of all times and generations.
He started playing football at the young age of 6 at his local clubs Malmo BI and FBK Balkan, also in the city of Malmo, and then developed into one of the best strikers in the world. Known for his predatory instincts around the goal, athletic ability and big mouth, Ibrahimovic certainly is a figure that stirs attention with ease; he has achieved so much in football and started so many controversies that even the Betfy.co.uk found it hard to draw a comprehensive picture of the mercurial forward.
Early Years
In his sparkling and decorated career of more than 19 years, he has played for many clubs like Ajax, Inter, AC Milan, Barcelona, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain. Now a striker for Manchester United, his presence makes the football field come alive.
Ibrahimovic signed his first contract with Malmo in 1996 and moved to Ajax in 2001 where he played till 2004. Juventus was the lucky team for which he played from 2004 to 2009. 2009 marked the year when he moved to Barcelona and then AC Milan.
Game Statistics
Playing for the Swedish national team from 2001 to 2016, Ibrahimovic has made more than 100 appearances, with 116 matches played overall. He also holds the record for the most prolific striker with 62 goals scored in his tenure with the Swedish national team.
So far, his club career saw him play the phenomenal 723 games through the years, with the whopping 420 goals. He was also the dubious recipient of 13 red cards and 111 yellow cards overall.
Honors and Awards
Ibrahimovic is regarded as arguably one of the best football players of his generation. With his versatility and swiftness on the field, he has played on a number of positions like the number 10 and most prominently, the striker’s position. This earned him a plethora of team and individual awards in different countries.
It is hard to tell which one is the most valuable, but certainly the most memorable of all has to be the scintillating bicycle style kick in the Sweden versus England match in 2013 for which he was awarded the prestigious FIFA Puskas Award for Goal of the Year.
In his prolific club career so far, Ibra won Footballer of the Year award 10 times which is pretty much sensational and unheard of, along with securing the Foreign Player of the Year Award 5 times in different leagues. With his help, his teams won the English Super Cup once in 2017 and French Super Cup four times, the French League Cup 3 times and a host of league titles.
As part of the Swedish national team, he took part in the Euro Cup 4 times, was in the FIFA World Cup once and won the Europa League once in 2016-17.
With his dedication to fitness and professionalism, Ibrahimovic has inspired legions of fans around the world and continues to do so. His style of play with incredible acrobatic and athletic abilities has made him very versatile where he is able to both create and score goals for his team. Like every footballer has an ideal icon which he follows, Ibrahimovic regards Ronaldo as his favorite superstars of all times which is, indeed, motivational and encouraging.

