The Ultimate Football Thread 2013-2014 Vol. 4 EPL, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A etc

Zlatan Ibrahimovic: ‘I’m Never Satisfied’
JUNE 6, 2014
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Zlatan Ibrahimovic Credit Ed Alcock for The New York Times
Talk
Interview by WM. FERGUSON

The Swedish soccer star talks to Wm. Ferguson about growing up an outsider in Sweden, the motivational power of anger and missing the World Cup — despite being the best.

You’ve had an incredibly successful run in professional soccer. Since 2004, every team that you have played for has finished at the top of its league each year except one — Milan in 2012. I was disappointed, but that year I was actually the top scorer. But that was not enough, because I wanted to win the competition and I didn’t.

Would you attribute any of your success to just being very lucky? I don’t think so. Because if it is luck, maybe you would win one, two, maximum three. But I have 11 championships in six different clubs and four different nations.

I was kidding. It seems that you are often moving away from teams when they are at their peak. Why? I think I am difficult to satisfy, because when I win something, I’m already thinking about the next step, and that is maybe a problem for me. I’m not enjoying the moment. I’m already on the mission to win the next trophy.

In the British press — which can be unfair — they say you are not a coachable player. I really never had a problem with a coach, so please explain to me how that works.

You don’t tend to leave teams under the best circumstances. Like I said: I’m never satisfied with the things I do, I want to become better, I want to be more complete in my game and I trained very hard to achieve my objectives. The anger drives me on also, it gives me a lot of motivation. When people criticize me, instead of putting my head down, it gives me energy to do even more.

In your new book, “I Am Zlatan,” you describe growing up in Rosengard, a part of Malmo with a large immigrant population, and how you felt you had to prove something. My father is from Bosnia, and my mother is from Croatia, but I was born in Sweden. I felt it was easier for the Swedish guys to be more successful than me. So in my head, I thought: I need to be 10 times better.

Was there any one moment where you thought, Wow, if I hadn’t fought back at this one point, I never would have had any of this? When I started to play football, when I was around 15, 16, I remember the players that played on the national team, and noticed that it was only typically Swedish guys.

Blond guys? Typical Swedes, let’s say. Now, a foreigner with a different background? He wouldn’t make it on the national team. And that drove me. I broke that wall, and now if you see the national team, it’s not only the blond ones.

You never considered hockey? No, but I did martial arts.

Have you ever thought about playing in the United States? Your style of play is strong and acrobatic, and there’s no “diving.” Americans consider that cheating. That’s not my game. That I don’t like because it’s not part of the game. But if I ever get a chance to play in front of the Americans, I would try to do my best to convince them, show them the type of soccer they like to see.

This year the Swedish national team did not qualify for the World Cup, but remarkably, both Bosnia and Croatia will be in Brazil. Exactly. And I will not.


Because your parents are from there, you could have chosen to play for either Bosnia or Croatia. Does that bother you? I have to accept it, even if I want to be in the World Cup. I mean, I think the best player belongs in the biggest tournament. And the World Cup is the biggest tournament, and I’m not there. So I’m suffering, I’m disappointed, I’m angry.

Will you go to Brazil anyway? I cannot say yes, and I cannot say no. I want to do like they do on the football field; they’re unpredictable.

Maybe you could play if you cut your hair and put on a Croatia jersey. I think the problem is the nose, not the hair. I will have to get rid of my nose.
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Portugal is sort of killin Mexico in the midfield in the first 15 mins, nice crisp passing. Viereinha, never get a chance to watch him play but I like it.

I want to see just how ready Mexico is for the world cup. This game would be a good confidence boost for them.
 
Nani played pretty well last game. But I'm still - meh about him.

Veirinha looks sharp this game tho.
 
^^^Braga.

Portugal same old story. Great midfield passing along with defense. But they cannot god damn score without Ronaldo.
 
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Didn't Lima want to play for Portugal? That would have solved the striker issue.

First half was meh. Portugal didn't capitalize on their chances and mexico just couldn't go through Portugals D, same story with Mexico, lets pass it to our defenders on the counter attack :rolleyes

Hopefully, second half has some scoring or something.
 
Why is Gio playing the number 9 role anyway? He should be on the wing.

Never heard that about Lima playing for Portugal, if he did, the papers weren't obviously done in time then because we def would have used him.
 
Varela is such a useless body out there. God damn man this dude fell off. Wish it was Quaresma there, he'd be feasting right now, but at the same time be giving Mexico counters lol
 
I still can't believe. Coentrao is playing midfield. Bento trying to take a page out of Peps book with Lahm.

You have to put someone else on man.
 
A BBC study published in October found that English footballers accounted for just 32 percent of the minutes played in the Premier League, compared to 59 percent for home-grown players in the Spanish Liga and 50 percent for home-grown players in Germany's Bundesliga.
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Oh god Varela is such a joke, the amount of times this dude has lost the ball and made mistakes in only 20 mins of play is so damn frustrating.
 
I don't even think Eduardo should be starting, I think Beto should.

Mexico played much better 2nd half but Bento brought out the beakers is and expirmented too much. No idea what he's doing with some players in certain positions.
 
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