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A flawed footballing genius called Ibra

Roar Guru
18th February, 2013
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Roar Guru
18th February, 2013
16
1103 Reads

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the 31-year-old Swedish superstar of Bosnian-Croatian descent, is a name synonymous with unpredictability and hullabaloo in world football.

Yet again he’s in the news for all the wrong reasons.

With seconds remaining in the first leg of Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League Round of 16 clash with Valencia, one moment of madness saw the volatile Swede commit an insane tackle on Andres Guardado that led to his marching orders.

It’s astonishing how a player with so much experience would respond in such a manner considering the situation of the match, with his team 2-1 up. But in hindsight, should we be surprised by the superstar’s latest episode? It’s always good to expect the unforeseen with Ibra.

Being one of the most expensive footballers in the history of the game, having cost various clubs more than £150 million in transfer fees, Ibra is a person who lives life king-size and expects to be the centre of attraction wherever he goes. He makes Mario Balotelli’s antics pale in comparison.

“Whenever life’s at a standstill, I need some action,” says Ibra. And living up to his word, action means driving one of his luxury toys, a Ferrari, Porsche Carrera, Volvo C30 TS or Audi S8, in a way only he can. “I always drive like a madman going up to 325kmph sometimes leaving the police behind,” said the Swede once.

All through his career playing for clubs all over Europe he has been mired in controversy in some form or the other with opponents, tea-mates, referees and managers.

One of the most high-profile cases was his altercations with former Barcelona manager, Pep Guardiola, whom he labeled a coward with no balls. He had an intense tussle with an AC Milan teammate at training and has also clouted opponents in the face playing for the Rossoneri in Serie A.

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Ibra might be unstable off the pitch but he is a top performer on the field. Despite being one of the most underrated footballers in the modern era, here is a player who has won eight straight league titles with five different clubs in three different countries – an obvious indication of what a phenomenal talent he is.

His audacious overhead bicycle kick against England in a friendly in November when he scored four goals was just one glimpse of his ability.

However, with just two goals so far in the Champions League competition this season, questions are being raised about his commitment to the game and his big fat pay cheque.

But there’s no questioning what Ibra brings to a team. He deserves to be held right up there with the likes of Robin Van Persie (Man United), Radamel Falcao (Atletico Madrid) and Edinson Cavani (Napoli) as one of the potent strikers in the game today.

Some things never change and with no hope of clamping down on histrionics, Ibra will continue to rock the boat in his own inimitable fashion. A flawed genius indeed.

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