Gerry Cardinale, AC Milan owner, spoke on 16 July at the WSJ Sports Event organised by The Wall Street Journal, where he discussed Zlatan Ibrahimović's role within RedBird and AC Milan.
Here are his words, as relayed via Milan News
On Zlatan's actual role with RedBird and Milan:
"Zlatan works for RedBird, not for Milan. That was something that was difficult for people in Europe to understand. The expectation was that we should do things the way they had always been done. I remember the first few times I went to Italy: whenever I asked questions that I was used to asking here in America, the reactions were quite surprised."
"Zlatan is a unique talent, and very few people are able to be great champions on the pitch and then make the transition into my world. When I find people like that, I bring them in. When I met Zlatan, what really intrigued me was that I could see our team lacked leadership and culture. Having someone in the dressing room who knows how to win makes all the difference."
"In our first conversation, I told him I wanted to work out with him how to take the Zlatan everyone saw on the pitch and transform him into Zlatan in the business world. He replied: 'Gerry, the one thing you need to know about me is that Zlatan will be Zlatan. Don't try to control me.' And I thought that was fantastic."
Further on Zlatan Ibrahimović's role:
"Originally, the idea was for Zlatan to come and work at RedBird, not at Milan. The reaction to the changes that took place was, to some extent, to pull him into becoming the key decision-maker at Milan. But what he is doing goes beyond that. It is about advising the ownership on football matters."
"Zlatan's greatest quality is that he has integrity and understands his own DNA. He has an entrepreneurial mindset by nature. I don't need to teach him that. What I need is for him to help me see around corners and navigate this dangerous football ecosystem. That's what he does for me. He tells me how to move through this minefield."
Cardinale's ambitious idea for Ibrahimović in the film industry:
"When you work closely with someone, you really get to know them. While working with Zlatan, there was one moment when I looked at him, he still had his ponytail at the time, and I said: 'You'd make a great James Bond villain!'
I called the people at Amazon and told them I had found the next James Bond villain. So I have high expectations. Watching his performances here in America as a television pundit, I think he has been fantastic and completely authentic. That's why he has become so popular with American audiences.
I believe he has so much talent that it could also be used in the entertainment industry while he continues his involvement in football."
