Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Europe's top striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is an ace Swedish footballer who is renowned for his ability to create scoring chances for himself and others players. The towering goalscorer's technique, creativity, powerful, and accurate striking ability led him to win 32 trophies throughout his illustrious career.

The powerful striker also played for several top flighted clubs especially his a s sociation with Paris Saint-Germain was the most fruitful of all and brought successful results for both himself and the club. The versatile and well-rounded footballer reached the pinnacle of his career after he scored all four goals including one of acrobatic goal for which he also won the 2013 FIFA Puskás Award for Goal of the Year.

Despite his unquestioned brilliance on the pitch, the footballer has also been involved in several violent incidents especially with teammates.

Early Life And Education Of Zlatan Ibrahimovic 

Zlatan Ibrahimovic was born on 3rd October 1981 in Malmo, Sweden to parents, Sefik Ibrahimovic and Jurka Gravic. He belongs to multiple nationalities including Croatian, Bosnian, and Swedish as far as his ethnicity is concerned, he is from a mixed ethnical background as his father is a Muslim who emigrated to Sweden in 1977 while his mother is from the Albanian descent. 

Ibrahimovic's parents divorced while he was just 2. He had a very difficult childhood as he spent most of his early days growing up in the infamous neighborhood of Rosengård known for being one of Sweden's roughest areas. Because of his poor background, he was involved in notorious activities; he was a bicycle thief and a school bully. 

Despite his dark childhood, Ibrahimovic did not take a break to become an extraordinary footballer in future. And he started his early career at the tender age of six after he received a pair of football boots. At the time, he regularly played for his hometown club Malmo FF and his skills soon made him a rising domestic level player. 

Ibrahimovic quit football at the age of 15 in order to work at the docks in Malmo, but fortunately, his manager convinced him to focus on his football career. His childhood idol was Brazilian footballer Ronaldo. 

Zlatan Ibrahimovic's Professional Career

Club Career  

Zlatan Ibrahimovic signed his first professional contract with Malmo FF in 1999 and helped the team to make a leap to the first level the following season. On 22 March 2001, he moved to the prominent Dutch club AFC Ajax after signing a contract for a fee of €8.7 million ($10,249,165.50). 

At that time, Ibrahimovic honed his formidable skills and helped them to win two titles as well as got the ‘Goal of the Tournament’ honor. He injured Ajax teammate Rafael van der Vaart during the international match against the Netherlands on 18 August 2004. As a result, Vaart later accused Ibrahimovi? of hurting him intentionally which led to Ibrahimovi?'s sudden transfer to Juventus. 

With Juventus, Ibrahimovic made an agreement of €16 million ($18,858,160). He led the club to two Serie A championships and received the Guldbollen for the best Swedish footballer of the year. However, the club was stripped of those titles after its management was involved in the infamous Calciopoli scandal and the club was also relegated to Serie B from A. 

On 10 August 2006, Ibrahimovic joined Inter Milan signing a four-year-deal for a fee of €24.8 million. He played the first game for the club against Cesena in September 2010 in the Championship League. His a s sociation with the club turned out to be fruitful for him as the towering striker won three straight Serie A titles with the club and became both Footballer of the Year and Foreign Footballer of the Year. 

In exchange for striker Samuel Eto'o including a reported fee of £59 million, Spanish giants Barcelona signed Ibrahimovic. He finished the first 15 league matches for Barcelona with 11 goals and 8 a s sists. He played the vital role for the club to rise victorious in the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup defeating Estudiantes in the finals. 

CAPTION: The footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic. SOURCE: Pinterest

Ibrahimovic also listed for the 2009 UEFA Team of the Year. After his relationship with manager Pep Guardiola started to deteriorate, he went on to spend the following season on loan to A.C. Milan. After punching Bari defender Marco Rossi in the stomach, he received a red card and was banned for three matches in a 1–1 home draw against Bari in March 2011. 

Ibrahimovic ended his 2011-12 seasons for the club scoring 28 goals in 32 matches. On 17 July 2012, he signed a contract for a transfer fee of  €20 million with the club Paris Saint-Germain. And became the first ever footballer to have scored for six different clubs in the UEFA Champions League history after he netted a series of goals in all the matches for the club. 

At the end of 2012, Ibrahimovic scored his first hat-trick for the club in a 4–0 away victory against Valenciennes. He has gained a lot of fame and accolades for his impressive performance at the pitch after his a s sociation with the club. He scored a career-high 30 goals within a season for the club and helped the team to win its first Ligue 1 title in 19 years. Not only did he reach the pinnacle of his career, but the towering striker helped them to enjoy immense success and victory also. 

In January 2018, former striker Edinson Cavani broke Ibrahimovic's record as PSG's all-time top scorer. Later, he made his move to top flighted club Manchester United in 2016. It was reported the footballer's weekly salary was £200,000.  

For the club, Ibrahimovic netted the match-winning goal in the 2016 FA Community Shield in a 2-1 victory over Leicester City. The veteran striker also played the crucial role to led the club to win the 2017 UEFA Europa League Final. He did not play the following season after aggravating a knee injury.

After he had agreed to the termination of his deal with the club, Ibrahimovic was transferred to the Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy. He scored twice in his first game for the club coming as a substitute against Los Angeles FC in the El Trafico. Following his brilliant performance, he said,

"I heard the crowd saying 'We want Zlatan, we want Zlatan', so I gave them Zlatan."

International Career 

The versatile and well-rounded footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic's capacity of playing anywhere along the front line as well as his rising domestic level career earned him the golden opportunity to represent Sweden, Bosnia, Croatia or Herzegovina at the international level, but he eventually decided to go with Sweden.

After becoming the part of U-18 and U-21, the footballer opened the doors for Sweden national team playing in a 0–0 friendly draw against the Faroe Islands on 31 January 2001.  

Ibrahimovic registered his first international goal after he played his first competitive match against Azerbaijan in a 2002 World Cup qualifier match and played a key role to lead his team to a 3-0 victory. He played for Sweden squad at the 2002 FIFA World Cup organized in Korea and Japan. But the team was eliminated in early stages at the round of 16 by newcomers Senegal. 

Ibrahimovic gained real limelight after he scored three goals throughout the UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying campaign and led his team to become the group winner.

Unfortunately, being one of the greatest footballers of all time, Ibrahimovic missed a penalty in the quarter-finals against the Netherlands which resulted in a elimination from the competition. 

Ibrahimovic gained further attention when he netted 4-goals in the 2006 World Cup qualification matches and a s sisted the team to confirm their spot at the tournament. However, the team was thrashed by 2014 FIFA World Cup Champions Germany in the round of 16. 

CAPTION: Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a versatile player. SOURCE: sport365.hu

Ibrahimovic was a recipient of the 2007 Swedish Golden Ball as the Country's Top Player of the Year. He became the Man of the Match following his mind-blowing performance against Greece in Sweden's Euro 2008 opener on 10 June 2008.  The team was knocked out in the group stage by Russia. 

Though Ibrahimovic scored twice during the 2010 World Cup qualification campaign, the team even was not able to qualify for the tournament and ended their journey for the World Cup finishing third in their qualifying group. He later played as a captain for the national team during the Euro 2012. Despite a series of victory in the tournament, they were knocked out in the group stage. Following his key role throughout the tournament, he was also named to the Team of the Tournament. 

During the 2014 World Cup qualifier against England, Ibrahimovic scored all four goals in a 4–2 win on 14 November 2012. Following his unbelievable performance in the match, he also received the 2013 FIFA Puskas Award for Goal of the Year. Subsequently, he once again scored another international hat-trick in a 4–2 friendly victory against Scandinavian rivals Norway. However, the team did not get a spot in the 2014 World Cup. 

The footballer netted his 50th international goal playing in a 2–0 friendly match win against Estonia and his goal in the match led him to become the Swedish national team's all-time leading goalscorer. He made his 100th appearance for his nation playing against Austria in the Euro 2016 qualifying match at the  Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna. He netted 11-goals in the qualifying phase becoming its second-top goalscorer behind Poland's Robert Lewandowski as well as led his team to qualify for the Euro 2016 finals.  

Under his own leadership, Ibrahimovic did not score any goals, as a result, the team finished in last place in their group. And he immediately made an announcement regarding his retirement from international football. 

Zlatan Ibrahimovic's Net Worth And Salary 

During his illustrious football career, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has collected a heavy amount of money. In 2014, he listed as the 12th highest paid athlete in the world according to Forbes. In August 2017, he likewise became the third richest footballer in the world only behind Lionel Messi $309,833,230 (£230m) and Cristiano Ronaldo $336,775,250 (£250m). 

As per Celebrity Net Worth, Ibra's estimated net worth is around $190 million, in 2018 and as per The Richest, his net worth is $90 million. His salary is around $35 million, in 2018. While he was playing for Manchester United, his peak annual salary was $35 million. With the same club, his last year's salary was $27 million.  

In 2018, Ibrahimovic accepted a $1.4 million salary from his last club LA Galaxy. He has also made a lot of money from his endorsements deal with several world-renowned companies like Nike. In 2015, he made $6 million only from endorsements. 

The list of his transfer to the club including fees  

Earning 2012 

Transfer to Paris Saint-Germain: $27,000,000

Earning 2011

Transfer to AC Milan: $32,000,000

In 2015, he sold his Malmo Mansion to ice hockey star Carl Söderberg for $3 million. The property had been on the market since April 2013 for 30 million kronor ($4.73 million). The 1,854-acre plot of land features five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a fabulous imported Italian kitchen as well as amazing views over the Oresund Strait.

Ibrahimovic also started his own company under the title A-Z Sportswear in June 2016 to sell sportswear for men, women, and children. And the company is a collaboration between the footballer and head of the Norwegian clothing giant Varner Petter Varner. Their main intention is "to make sports accessible to everyone". Most of the products are in the average of 12.95 (15.27 US Dollar) to € 19.95 (23.52 US Dollar).  

Ibrahimovic also launched Ibrahimovic Parfums to create his own signature scents for men and women when he was at PSG along with a world-leading perfume maker Olivier Pescheux. 

CAPTION: Zlatan Ibrahimovic's luxurious car. SOURCE: YouTube

Here is the list of his luxurious car with their price,                                 

• Maserati GranTurismo: $116,000 to $132,000    
• Porsche 918 Spyder:$845,000      
• Ferrari Enzo: $2.4 million
• Lamborghini Gallardo: $181,900 to $259,100 
• Ferrari F130 Convertible:  $219,956–$276,516
• Audi S8: $116,850
• Audi RS6 Avant C7: $87,090
• BMW:  $30,025 and $103,225
• Mercedes: $34,475
• Volvo Xc90:  $50,095

Zlatan Ibrahimovic's Personal Life  

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is not married but is in a long-term relationship with his partner Helena Seger since 2002. His girlfriend Seger is a former Swedish model and actress born in Lindesberg, Sweden. The couple welcomed their first child, a son named Maximilian Ibrahimovic on 22 September 2006. 

CAPTION: Zlatan Ibrahimovic along with his family. SOURCE: YouTube

Ibrahimovic's girlfriend Seger gave birth to their second child, also a son, Vincent Ibrahimovic, on 6 March 2008. Maximilian and Vincent followed their father's footsteps as they joined the Manchester United academy in 2016. The family of four currently resides outside of Los Angeles. 

Before Helen, it was reported that the footballer got engaged to Maria Olhage, in 2001 and they parted ways after a year. Reportedly, he also had an encounter with Erika Johnson in 2002.  

Besides, Ibrahimovic is also fluent in five languages including  Swedish, Bosnian, Spanish, English, and Italian. He was a black belter in taekwondo as a child too. 

Ibrahimovic likewise inked his surname in Arabic on the back of his right arm. He tattooed the names of his sons Vincent and Maximilian on his right arm. 

Zlatan Ibrahimovic's Charity Work

The Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is also involved in a number of charitable projects. For several years he has worked with the UN World Food Programme (WFP). One of their programs called 805 Million Names during which the footballer tattoed 50 names of people who were suffering from starvation to raise awareness. 

On 11 August 2014, Ibrahimovi? donated more than £30,000 ($51,000) to the intellectually disabled players of the Swedish national team all of them participated in the  INAS World Championships in Brazil.  

Zlatan Ibrahimovic's Controversy

Despite his unquestioned brilliance on the pitch, the footballer has been involved in a number of violent incidents with teammates. Some of which went viral on the internet and attracted much media coverage. 

During the international match against the Netherlands on 18 August 2004, Ibrahimovi? injured Ajax teammate Rafael van der Vaart, who later publically accused Ibrahimovi? of deliberately injuring him between the match. Following the incident, he made his way to Juventus on 31 August. 

In the dressing room, Ibrahimovi? once again punched Ajax teammate Mido after he had thrown scissors at him. During the spell at Barcelona, the relationship between Ibrahimovi? and coach Pep Guardiola worsen. Guardiola finally denied speaking to him, as a result, he was sent to Milan on a loan. 

CAPTION: Zlatan Ibrahimovic fight against another team members. SOURCE: Daily Mail

In the year 2010, Milan teammate Oguchi Onyewu and Ibrahimovi? were involved in a training-ground fist-fight. He tackled him and then headbutted Onyewu. They were separated by teammates and both of them did not play that season as well. Following the incident, he also suffered a broken rib in the fracas. 

In March 2011, Ibrahimovi? received a three-match ban after he punched Bari defender Marco Rossi during a game. The same year, Ibrahimovi? kicked Antonio Ca s sano in the face while Ca s sano was speaking to reporters. During a training session, he also kicked Milan teammate Rodney Stra s ser. 

In February 2012, he was given another three-match ban for slapping Napoli player Salvatore Aronica. After he kicked AS Saint-Étienne goalkeeper Stéphane Ruffier in the chest, he was banned for two-match, in November 2012. Talking about his inappropriate behavior at the pitch and outside the pitch, PSG winger Lucas claimed, stating,

"He always asks for the ball and insults a lot. He is sometimes a bit arrogant and complains."

In addition to his violent incidents during the club matches, Ibrahimovi? was also involved in several incidents while he was playing for Sweden national football team. In October 2012, following their 1–0 win over the Faroe Islands, Faroes captain Fróði Benjaminsen accused him of foul play and insulted him as "arrogant", "childish", "ignorant", and a "dirty player". 

Zlatan Ibrahimovic's Five Facts 

Here are the five interesting facts of Swedish giant player Zlatan Ibrahimovic you love to watch.