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“I admire Cantona and I heard what he said. But I won’t be King of Manchester. I will be God of Manchester.”
Speaking like this
before even kicking a ball could backfire in a league like that in
England with the number of mainland players that fail to get accustomed
to the style of play here. But such was the belief and confidence that
Zlatan Ibrahimovic had in himself. And with these comments, the Swedish
superstar’s reign over Manchester began.
It was time for English football to say
hello to Zlatanism. Over the course of his season and a half at United,
we’ve seen everything we could – that charismatic arrogance, goals,
suspensions and of course being a nuisance and a bully to the opposition
defenders.
From being written off because of his
style of play and age by the majority of the press, Ibrahimovic had
added reason to prove his detractors wrong. In his competitive debut
itself, Ibrahimovic managed to pop up at the right place at the right
time and scored the winner as United won the season opener at Wembley.
It was the beginning of a rollercoaster of a season at Old Trafford.
For a multiple winner in multiple
countries, Ibrahimovic brought a winning mentality to a team that was
slowly losing that mentality as the club moved away from the Ferguson
era. He brought an undeniable aura with him and that arguably was more
important than goals in a team that has youngsters like Eric Bailly,
Anthony Martial, and Marcus Rashford among others. He was the perfect
mentor for these players and Rashford has often spoken about positively
about the Swede’s impact on him.
Things last season, unfortunately, went
awry with the cruciate ligament injury suffered by Ibrahimovic but the
heart, character, and courage shown by him during rehabilitation is none
like we’ve ever seen in this country and arguably in the world. This
could have potentially been a career ender for a player of his age.
While he may not have come back at his level best, it is still a
stupendous recovery.
Ibrahimovic’s status among his teammates
is something every professional would envy. Jokes on social media
aside, the way the squad speaks about him shows the respect he commands
and his stature among his peers.
While his style of play and the chances
missed during the course of the season left sections of the United
faithful frustrated, it cannot be denied that he carried us to an extent
last season. He was on course for 30 goals in the season before
an injury cut his campaign short so cruelly. His greatest moment has to
be his match-winning brace in the EFL Cup Final against Southampton. It
was another memorable visit to the national stadium for the Ibrahimovic.
Another one of his memorable outings for
United will be the one in Stockholm in the Europa League Final season,
though he didn’t play and the hat-trick he got against St. Etienne in
the round of 32 of that campaign. It was fitting for him to win his one
and only European trophy at his home stadium in the Friends Arena in
Sweden. It was a crowning moment for a career that has seen him win over
30 trophies and score over 400 goals. It has to be said that he is one
of the greatest strikers of this millennium if not the greatest.
While his dream of winning the Premier
League and the Champions League remains unfulfilled and this was not the
way he wanted to depart English football, his legacy at United and in
Europe remains one of a serial winner. All the best to Ibrahimovic in
the latest chapter of a wonderful career and it’s time for the MLS to
become the MLZ.
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