Zlatan Ibrahimovic talked to La Gazzetta dello Sport's journalist Luigi Garlando on the occasion of the Festival dello Sport. Here are his words:
What was young Zlatan like?
"I caused a lot of trouble, like all kids. I was always out playing football. I always had a ball with me, wherever I went, and played football, even though everyone told me I wasn't a talent. It was my energy, my adrenaline. Then I also did things that you shouldn't do, but you learn and grow."
Ibrahimovic on keeping his origins and roots:
"You become more mature, you have more experience. Now I have two children. But your identity is always the same. But you do it with elegance and in a different way."
On the comparison with van Basten at Ajax:
"At the beginning, it was very difficult; everyone expected me to be the new van Basten. But I wasn't at that level yet; it was my first adventure outside of Sweden. I was alone with a lot of pressure. It was a record transfer; they expected magic every day", said Ibrahimovic, "But I wasn't ready; that comparison weighed on me and it wasn't easy. It almost made me want to go back to Sweden. But I never gave up; I always had confidence in myself. However, in some situations, it doesn't only depend on you, but little by little, especially mentally, I became stronger. The second year went better, the third year was a baptism for everyone."
Ibrahimovic on his late agent and friend, Mino Raiola:
"My career began with him. It was my third year at Ajax. When I met Rino, I acted arrogant, and so did he. After a while, I let it go because I really needed Mino. And after three months, he brought me to Juventus. The first meeting? We were at a sushi restaurant. I arrive with a nice car, a beautiful watch, a nice jacket. I enter with Mino, he places an order as if we were eight people. He tells me, 'I've got this, don't worry.' We talk about many things, and he pulls out sheets with goals and statistics of other forwards: Vieri, Sheva, Inzaghi. They had different stats from Ibracadabra. My stats were: 20 games, 5 goals. 'With these stats, where do I take you?' he asked. I told him that with different stats, even my mom could sell me, that's why I needed him to perform a miracle. I met an amazing person; he became like a father and a friend. An advisor, everything. What I went through, I went through with him. I talked to him every day. We grew together in our careers. We became strong together, he became stronger than everyone in his category, and I in mine. Then another thing about that lunch. He asked me, 'Can you become the richest or the strongest in the world?' I replied, 'The strongest.' He said, 'Good, the strongest becomes the richest.' That was Mino."
On Raiola's illness, he said:
"I was with Mino almost every day in his final period of life. It wasn't easy; when you see a person struggling, it's difficult. There was so much emotion. I wanted to take his mind off the illness, so I brought him energy and positivity instead of talking about his sickness. He always thought about others and not himself. He was always behind the players; they always came first, and then him. And it was the same in his last months. He put me ahead of everyone and not himself. He told me to do what made me happy. He was very strong, he was strong."
On Fabio Capello:
"He told me he would fix me by taking out all of Ajax from me. He wanted me to be more concrete and direct on the field. The best way for a forward to help the team was to score goals. Every day we worked in front of the goal. I would hide behind Thuram and Cannavaro, but he always saw me. We worked like that for six months. He also compared me to van Basten. He said that technically I was better than him, but his movements in the box were better. That's where it all started. Trezeguet was smart, he told me that I could take the ball through the field, do what I wanted, and he would wait for me up front. At the beginning in Italy, there was a lot of adrenaline, I wanted to show who I was. I noticed that I was missing the goal, while Trezeguet always scored. Then I understood what the mentality of a forward in Italy should be: you have to score. Here in Italy, you have to play well and score goals. So, I told Trezeguet, 'I'll wait for you up front now (laughs)."
On Juventus' Serie A titles:
"They are 38 titles not 36. Because we fought every day in every match and we did everything on the field. Those who were in that team know what we did: we showed that we were the strongest in Italy. That's why I say there are 38."
On Mario Balotelli, Ibrahimovic said:
"When a young kid has the opportunity to use his talent... He had many opportunities, but he didn't take any. There are many who just want a chance, he lost all the opportunities he had."
After Rafael Leao's backheel in the Champions League...
"No no, you can't even compare. If he scores, he's a genius. Only geniuses understand what they need to do there. That's why he's there and Balotelli is in the stands."
At Inter, was there the strongest version of Ibrahimovic ever?
"I felt stronger than when I was at Juventus, it was a normal progression. I felt more complete but not at my peak. I did what I had to do, help the team in the best way possible. Mancini trusted me and gave me responsibilities. Then Mourinho arrived, he was totally different from Mancini. But I felt that I was growing slowly to reach my goals."
Did you consider the team around you not up to par?
"I don't think it was like that. Even Juventus had the potential to win the Champions League, but I didn't win it. Inter hadn't won the Scudetto for 17 years before me, then we won it three years in a row. Many champions played for Inter without winning the title. So I thought if I went there and won, I would enter the club's history. I've seen teams win the Champions League but not the league."
What did you like about Barcelona?
"I was lucky to win trophies I hadn't won before. 2-3 international, 2-3 domestic. Going to Barcelona was a dream, everyone talked about Barcelona. I thought that if I could play there, I would be in the best team in the world. When Barca called me, I was excited, I had given my all at Inter. I wanted to grow even more and face new challenges to understand and test myself, it was a challenge with myself. Playing in one place all your life is fine, but I wanted to see how far I could go. In the first six months at Barcelona, good, good, in the last six months the thinking changed. On the field, I didn't do much, but in my head, I became stronger. You have to go through difficult moments to become stronger. If it's always 'wow', then when a setback comes, you're not ready to get out of the tough moment."
On the Champions League semi-final of AC Milan against Inter, Ibrahimovic commented:
"The game wasn't easy. In Milan, we lost 3-1, but with VAR, there would have been a different situation. But no excuses. Then at home, we won 1-0. But that's football, there are good moments and bad moments. Everyone expected that we could win, instead, we won."
On his biggest opportunity to win the Champions League?
"Barcelona was too strong and dominant, they would at least make it to the semi-finals. It was the biggest opportunity. But potentially, all the clubs I played for could have won the Champions League."
My coach focuses too much on tactics, what should I do?
"You can learn tactics even later, the basics of football you can't learn later: you learn them when you're young. Tactics can be learned later, it's not important."
On the move to AC Milan:
"It wasn't an easy time for me, the coach wanted to sell me at all costs. Then came the Gamper cup match against Milan, Milan was talking with Mino to understand what to do. When they came to Barcelona, we were in the tunnel before entering the field. All the Milan players were saying, 'After the game, come back with us.' Nesta, Pirlo, Ronaldinho, they all said, 'Come back with us.' After the game, Dinho came into the locker room, took my hand and said, 'Come on, let's go home.' In these situations, I didn't want to stress Helena. In football, there are many words, but Galliani came to our house. Helena didn't know who he was, she asked me who he was. 'He's the big boss of Milan.' 'And what does he want?' 'He wants us to go to Milan.' And she said, 'Well, what are we waiting for then?' And in the end, they reached an agreement with Barcelona. In the evening, we went to dinner, Galliani took out his credit card but it didn't work. It was after my transfer. So I said, 'Is it already gone? I'll pay.' (laughs)."
About Silvio Berlusconi:
"I had a good relationship with Berlusconi, he has an aura. When he enters a room, even if you don't see him, you know he's there. I have a lot of respect for him. He has charisma. He was Mr. Milan. Since he took over Milan, Milan became football, he changed the history of football and Milan. He brought back happiness to me after the difficult times at Barcelona. It's thanks to him that I went to Milan. Then from there, a relationship grew, and we talked often about many things. He told me how I should play, move. He stimulated me as a person and as a player."
The move from Milan to PSG:
"It was difficult, this first stint at Milan had brought back happiness to me. I didn't want to leave Milan. Before going on vacation, I know how it works before the summer, calls come in, I asked Galliani, 'Can I see you for 5 minutes, please?' He said yes. I told him, 'Please promise me you won't sell me? I don't want to leave Milan, I'm happy, and the family is doing well.' 'Okay, don't worry.' After three weeks, I was on vacation, Mino calls me. I don't answer. In an hour, 10 missed calls. I understood that something was wrong. I answered Mino, 'I don't want to leave, anywhere.' He said, 'It's already done at PSG.' 'PSG? No no, I'm fine at Milan.' They sold me and Thiago Silva as a package, he already had an agreement. Before joining a club, you imagine yourself in that shirt, scoring goals in that stadium. Then I talked to Leonardo, 'We play away in a stadium with 2,000 people, I don't get the adrenaline rush.' He told me that some matches would be like that. There's not much to say about Paris. In the end, I said yes, but I put clauses in the contract to make them think I was foolish and not get me to sign. After 20 minutes, they said okay. So I kept my word and signed. After these requests in the contract, Mino said to me, 'Do you want a bicycle in the contract too?' I said yes. And I got the bike (laughs)."
On winning over the English, Ibrahimovic said:
"I went to England at 35. I wanted a change after 4 years at PSG. Everyone was talking about United because Mou was going there. He called me, I said yes. United is one of the top 5 in the world. I asked for advice from others, all the players told me no: 'If you do badly there, you put your career at risk, all your past is erased.' I called 5 players, 5 no's. 5 no's and one yes, mine. I go to England. When the situation is like this, I load up even more. I prefer to walk on fire rather than on water, only I can do it (laughs). All those no's motivated me even more. In England, many hated me, saying I never scored against English teams, that I was arrogant. After three months, they all became my fans."
Your bicycle kick goal from 35 meters against England:
"It's like Leao's situation. If he scores there, the whole world thinks that only he can do it, or only he can think it. When I saw the goalkeeper coming out, I thought I'd try to deceive him with a movement. And then I thought, 'Either you're a genius or you're not.' And then from there, it all exploded. If it doesn't work out, everyone thinks, 'What is he doing,' like with Leao."
On Lionel Messi in USA:
"I'm happy for them, they can go back to watching football. When I left, they went back to watching Baseball."
The last Scudetto with Milan, the most beautiful of all. You gave your all:
"It was the Scudetto I had the most satisfaction from. It was a situation where the team wasn't favoured, not even in the top 4. These were players who weren't superstars. It wasn't a team I was used to playing in: I always played in favoured teams. In this Milan, it was the opposite. Then we didn't know if they were going to sell or not, if a new manager or a new coach would come, then COVID... We always stuck together. We said we would take it step by step, one day at a time. Then, whoever was mentally ready to make the sacrifice stayed, whoever wasn't ready left. Then slowly, this group formed, I've never had such a strong collective group. An atmosphere... It was too, too strong. We weren't phenomena, just me (laughs). They weren't superstars, but everyone used the situation to grow and make the teammate next to them grow. The year we played without fans helped us grow without pressure. We had more time to reach the top. Then when we reached the top, they brought back the audience, which gave us an extra boost. It was a group that became stronger every passing day. They said we were lucky, blah blah blah, but in the end, we closed it. And when you do a great thing, you see it and feel it in others. After the game with Sassuolo, we entered the locker room, and I went to the shower. Two or three people were crying, the staff was crying. From there, you understand what you've done. It was something nobody believed in. When I came back, I said in the first press conference that I would bring Milan back to triumph: at that moment, I realised that I had succeeded. The satisfaction was different. I asked how many had played in the Champions League. No one raised their hand, the same when I asked who had won the trophy. That year, you could feel that we could win. I had a serious injury, but I stayed close to the team. When you see how we celebrated in the center... There was Tomori who had won with Chelsea, I told him that winning here would be another thing. He told me I was totally right, this will remain in history forever."
On Sandri Tonali's growth at Milan:
"He came from Brescia. It was his dream to come to Milan. The first year, he was too much of a fan. I told him, 'Enough, you're not a fan anymore, you're one of us. Fans are not needed here, making fans happy is what's needed.' Then in the second year, he unlocked and flew, he was too important for us. Already from Brescia, you could see that he was strong. Many don't understand that playing in top clubs is a huge difference. Different pressure, different mentality, different goals. Here, if you lose, you're the first one they come for, then the coach and then the club. When a player isn't performing at their best, it doesn't mean they've lost their talent, but that it takes time. It also depends on us teammates, we also have to help him feel good and use his qualities. The executives saw one thing, in a team there's a coach and teammates: everything goes together. It's a team sport, not an individual one."
How much did it hurt to see Sandro Tonali leaving the Italy national team after the gambling issue? Ibrahimovic said:
"I know little about this story. I've never heard from him, never seen him in difficulty, and never seen that he was doing badly. Judging before knowing is not the way. Then if he's addicted to gambling, he needs help, it's like a drug. Unfortunately, I don't know, I didn't think... Then we need to understand if he was going to the casino, I've been to the casino too. Then if he placed bets on football as a professional, that's another story. But if someone plays blackjack... everyone does what they want with their money. We need to understand how the situation is."
Who is better, Rafael Leao or Zlatan Ibrahimovic?
"Zlatan, but Zlatan created Leao (laughs)."
Were you surprised to see Paolo Maldini leave Milan?
"I have a good relationship with Paolo, from the first day I arrived. He was an executive, I played against him on the field. From the first day, I got to know the person. He was growing as an executive, it was his first experience. It wasn't an easy situation, it wasn't clear how things were. He didn't bring any of these things into the team. He was always present every day at Milanello. He communicated with coach Pioli, with the players. He was present every day. I don't know the details about the market, there were limited budgets. It was his problem, my problem was on the field. He did a great job, we won. When you manage to win, it's a collective thing, everyone has their responsibilities to get there. It's not a one-man show. I'm sorry about what happened, he's a symbol of Milan: father, himself and son. I'm sorry. But I know that in football, things can change. I'm happy for him for what he did for Milan, as a player and as an executive."
About the relationship with Lukaku. Are you sorry there wasn't another meeting?
"I'm sorry, very. I know him, I played a year with him. It wasn't like that when that situation happened. I didn't expect that attitude, I know him from Manchester. In Italy, they make you become something you're not, your fault, the journalists' fault. You made him feel like something he's not, so maybe he feels like the king of Milan and the league. But he was doing well, but there, I didn't understand. He does things for his team, but it wasn't like him. He's not a bad guy, but this thing happened. Then I said, 'If we play another game, let's see what happens.' It's not personal. I was surprised, what he did is not like him, but what I did is (laughs)."
On the future, Ibrahimovic said:
"How long has it been since I retired? 3-4 months? I have a completely different freedom. I'm doing things for myself. I don't have a boss telling me what to do or what to follow. I'm taking time to understand what I want to do. There are more offers now than when I was playing. If I get into something, I want to make a difference, being myself. I don't want to go into a situation as an icon. I go in, start from scratch, and do what I can do. Then of course, there's also your image as a character. We'll see what happens. I've had a few meetings with Milan... We talk. We'll see where it goes. It's time to get to know each other. Then if one can bring something, it has an effect, if they can't bring it, it doesn't have an effect. If they give me the contract to keep playing, it has an effect. I'm joking (laughs). We'll see."
