Over the course of his transition from Swedish soccer god to World Cup analyst, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has had to make a few significant changes. For one, he no longer wears shorts or shinguards to work. The tightly-pulled samurai ponytail is also gone.
But there’s one habit from his 25-year playing career that he hasn’t left behind. When “Ibra” talks about Ibra—which will happen a lot on America’s TV screens over the coming month—he still refers to himself in the third person.
“They want Zlatan, and I will give them Zlatan again,” Zlatan said. “But from a different angle.”
This is the angle where he wears a suit and folds his 6-foot-5 frame behind a desk to make his broadcasting debut for Fox.
The 44-year-old has been retired since 2023 and the spotlight was beginning to feel a little distant. So now, Ibrahimovic is about to spend the summer practicing the one other skill where he can match his world-class talent with his feet.
“I’ve been judged for 25 years,” he says. “And now finally I get to judge other ones, but in my own way—nice or not—let’s see what mood I am in.”
The various moods of Zlatan shaped his entire playing career as he lit up the capitals of European soccer. Wherever he went—from Ajax, to Inter Milan, to Barcelona, to Paris Saint-Germain, to AC Milan, and Manchester United—he left his imprint, for better and for worse.
He was the top scorer in Italy twice. He was banned for fighting with opponents and teammates more than once. He now also claims to be “the architect of PSG,” which went on to win the Champions League seven years after he left.
What’s certain is that he’s never short of opinions.
“I’m professional, so this for me is not a joke,” he says. “I’m not there to become a clown.”
