'The English media always attacked me, 'you're just a prima donna with your ponytail' - then I scored that goal. Oh my god...' Zlatan Ibrahimovic on the moment that he silenced the English press
Zlatan Ibrahimovic silenced plenty of critics in the English media - with just one goal
Ibrahimovic thrived in his debut season at Old Trafford(Image credit: Ben Hoskins/Getty Images)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is undoubtedly one of the most recognisable footballers of the modern era, enjoying a fruitful career spanning over three decades and seven different countries.
A true maverick, Ibrahimovic was never far from the headlines thanks to his remarkable goalscoring ability on the pitch and outspoken confidence off it.
Having recently retired from the professional game, the Swedish striker has recently opened up on his 18-month spell in England and his treatment from the infamous British press in particular.
Ibrahimovic thrived under Mourinho at Old Trafford (Image credit: Getty Images)
Ibrahimovic arrived on the shore of England in what many believed to be the twilight of his career having enjoyed a four-year spell in Paris which appeared to finally cement his place among the world's greatest strikers. Inconsistency plagued the opening decade of his career as he bounced from one European giant to another before finding a home in the French capital now in his thirties.
113 goals in 122 appearances later, Ibrahimovic joined Jose Mourinho's Manchester United, bringing the usual media frenzy along with him as he kicked off his debut campaign at the ripe age of 35.
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17 Premier League goals in his debut season was the perfect response to questions regarding his age and character as Ibrahimovic spearheaded the Red Devils to three trophies in the 2016/17 season, with an ACL tear late in the season preventing him from adding to an already impressive goal tally. Speaking in an interview on the YouTube show Hot Ones, Ibrahimovic explained the joy of getting revenge on the same media outlets which hoped for his failure years before.
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"The English media always attacked me," he said. "They were like 'you think you're good, but you're not good. You're just a prima donna with your ponytail.'
Ibrahimovic signing his Manchester United contract (Image credit: Getty Images)
"Then I scored that goal. Oh my god. Do you think I felt good? I felt very good."
It's unsure which goal Ibra is actually referring to, however. Does he mean the first goal he scored for Manchester United in the Community Shield? FourFourTwo reckons not: it's probably the Puskas-winning overhead marvel that he netted against the Three Lions in a friendly for Sweden in 2012.
Ibrahimovic left the Red Devils in January 2018, taking the MLS by storm before returning to AC Milan to see out the final years of his glittering career.
James Ridge is a freelance journalist based in the UK. He recently spent time with The United Stand as an online news editor and has covered the beautiful game from England’s eighth tier all the way to the Premier League.
