Ever since Zlatan Ibrahimovic mentioned his desire not to extend his expiring contract at Paris St. Germain, teams all over the world earnestly coveted his signature. Manchester United, Arsenal, West Ham, Liverpool, AC Milan, L.A. Galaxy and Chelsea were the most notable teams among the many.
And while he would add some fire-power to the attack of all the aforementioned teams, the one that he ended up signing with, Manchester United, is sure to suit him best, and listed below are the reasons why he made the right call.
Editor’s Note: this Zlatan Ibrahimovic listicle is by Sports Bank guest contributor @_noeynoel Read more of his work at The Crunch Tackle blog.
- Quality without the Cost.
His one year deal takes Ibrahimovic out of the “Big-Risk-Category” of Players. No big money investment was needed to land him; hence no big risk was taken. And even if he flops, he wouldn’t be a ’50 million’ esque kind of loss. And going by the records, Zlatan doesn’t flop. He also pairs up well with Marcus Rashford, as Manager Jose Mourinho said yesterday. The special one believes that the two could be great complementary players (more on that here).
Now the question remains, how does Ibrahimovic fit with Wayne Rooney? Mou said yesterday that Roo will played close to the goal, not dropped back into midfield. So how will that gel with Ibrahimovic?
2. Thirty and Over! – The Zlatan Effect
Zlatan’s 34 and at that age a normal football professional is sure to experience ‘form-drops,’ but Ibrahimovic is not normal.
Despite entering his mid 30s, Ibra has hit 30+ goals in each of the last five seasons. With United recently breaking records for scoring futility, the Zlatan Effect should sure curb that almost single-handedly.
Ibrahimovic’s goals season-by-season in the last five years
2011/2012: 35 goals in 44 appearances
2012/2013: 35 goals in 46 appearances
2013/2014: 41 goals in 46 appearances
2014/2015: 30 goals in 37 appearances
2015/2016: 35 goals in 38 appearances
3. He’s the perfect mentor for Martial
The Frenchman was a revelation during his opening season at Old Trafford, but Louis van Gaal would have privately admitted that he was overly-reliant at times on Martial. The 20-year-old arrived at the Theatre of Dreams for a massive £36 million and, although he’s impressed in his debut campaign, the second season is often more difficult for young players.
It’s clear that in Martial, United have a special player on their hands but he also must be looked after.
Ibrahimovic knows exactly what it’s like to carry the burden of expectations from a very young age, having moved to Juventus for a big fee at the age of 22, and he’d be the ideal mentor for the talented Frenchman.
4. He’s raring for another shot at working with Mou
Jose Mourinho. may split opinion among supporters but Ibrahimovic waxed lyrical about the former Chelsea boss in his 2011 autobiography ‘I am Zlatan’.
“Jose Mourinho is a big star. That guy says whatever he wants. I like him. He’s the leader of his army. But he cares, too. He would text me all the time at Inter, wondering how I was doing. He’s the exact opposite of Pep Guardiola. If Mourinho lights up a room, Guardiola draws the curtains. I guessed that Guardiola was trying to match up to him. Mourinho would become a guy I was basically willing to die for” he wrote.
The Mourinho-Zlatan reunion at Old Trafford could take the Red Devils back to the glory years.
5. United’s record with Aged Strikers, Henrikh Larsson and Eric Cantona,
Compared with Eric:
The similarities between Cantona and Ibrahimovic are plain to see and, with United struggling to find their identity in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson years, the Red Devils need a charismatic talisman to guide them out of this dark period.
Cantona relished the challenge of playing for Manchester United; he was the final piece of the jigsaw for Fergie’s first title-winning side and United legend Peter Schmeichel believes Ibrahimovic would relish the challenge of playing for the Red Devils.
Concerning Ibra, the Great Dane said: “What he does with PSG is incredible. He gives so much credibility and visibility to PSG… this is someone who takes responsibility.”
History is sure waiting to have itself repeated now that Ibra has joined United.
Comparison with Larsson:
Remember the last time United signed a 34-year-old Swedish striker? Let me quickly run through the history books for you.
Larsson moved to Old Trafford on loan in the 2006/2007 season and had a galvanizing effect on Sir Alex Ferguson’s side as they won their first league title in three seasons. The former Celtic forward brought much-needed experience to a young United side and Zlatan could have a similar effect at Old Trafford. Ibrahimovic has matured since moving to PSG and he’d flourish as an elder statesman in this youthful United side that is lacking guidance.