Zlatan is bored with football

flahavaj

Zlatan Ibrahimović: I’m growing tired of football

Striker admits he no longer has the same determination to achieve success in the game as he used to


Zlatan Ibrahimović has suggested he is getting bored of football, claiming that his view of the sport has faded from a burning passion into a dull daily routine.

The 30-year-old AC Milan forward, who joined the Serie A giants after spells at Barcelona and Internazionale, says he is growing tired of the game, heightening speculation that he is planning to retire in the not-too-distant future.

“Football is no longer burning inside me like it used to,” he is quoted as saying by Corriere dello Sport.

“I used not to think about anything else. Now it is not like that, I’m interested in other things.

“Now football is more part of a routine. You go to the training ground, you warm up, you train and then you go home. Before, I used to stay on after training because there was always something to do.

“It even takes a great deal of effort for me to play football with my kids in the garden – I now leave it to the babysitter.”

Ibrahimović, who penned a permanent contract with Milan until 2015 this summer after spending last season at the San Siro on loan from Barcelona, recently sparked speculation over his future by declaring his career is nearly over.

And the Sweden international admits he does not have the same determination to achieve success in the sport as he did in his younger days.

“With age you have to care for yourself more,” he continued. “When I was young, if I felt any pain or had any problems then I could still shoot at goal from 40 metres away. That’s not the case today. I have to take great care in my warm up before even kicking a ball. I’m getting old.

“I’m not kidding about my situation. I hate to say it, but I don’t have the same determination as I had before and I enjoyed myself a lot more a few years ago.”

Poor aul divvil.

Pinturicchio

Berlusconi told him to get a hair cut too.

Cill Dara Abu

Meh... the most over rated player to ever.

Johner

Cill Dara Abu wrote: »

Meh... the most over rated player to ever.

Funny stuff.

AgileMyth

Cill Dara Abu wrote: »

Meh... the most over rated player to ever.

I don't get where this comes from at all. The man consistently scores goals. He consistently wins leagues with every club he goes to.

Just because hes never played in the English Premier league theres an idea over here, and in England I assume, that hes something short of a world class player. Hes not. Hes one of the best I've ever seen.

IRISHSPORTSGUY

AgileMyth wrote: »

I don't get where this comes from at all. The man consistently scores goals. He consistently wins leagues with every club he goes to.

Just because hes never played in the English Premier league theres an idea over here, and in England I assume, that hes something short of a world class player. Hes not. Hes one of the best I've ever seen.

I think it's because he rarely performed in the latter stages of the Champions League. Likewise, continental Europeans probably think Cantona was overrated.

AgileMyth

IRISHSPORTSGUY wrote: »

I think it's because he rarely performed in the latter stages of the Champions League. Likewise, continental Europeans probably think Cantona was overrated.

I'd agree about Cantona to an extent. United fans consider him amongst the game's all time greats. He wasn't far off, but I wouldn't quite put him at that level.

Le King

*Inserts stereotypical remark about Ibra*

You really do have to laugh at people saying he is overrated. To form such an opinion you have only seen the man play a handful of times. He is a master of his art. The man is class. Not going to be up there at the very top but he is a very fine footballer.

Akin to Messi and a cold Tuesday in Stoke; A load of bollocks.

markc1184

The man is an absolute genius!! I can kind of see were he is coming from, but if I was on his wages I'd find a way of making it interesting!

The_Kew_Tour

Hopefully he be gone in time for when Ireland meet Sweden in WC qualifying campaign next year.

Great player, but seen more motivation in a donkey then him at times.

Richard Hillman

Football must be like playing a computer game that he has completed 8 times in a row for him. Im sure he is desensitized to winning to the league at this stage.

DOC09UNAM

Would love to see him try england out, smashing player, probably the best out and out striker I've ever seen...

PARlance

I'm sure there are 100's of professionals out there that are bored playing football...but they're probably just a bit more ahem...professional... to say that in an interview.

I think everyone gets bored of football from time to time, whether they be playing astro once a week or a top professional player.

Don't feel in the slightest bit sorry for him, but can easily see how it can happen

GLaDOS

Assou-Ekotto said similar before: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/may/01/benoit-assou-ekotto-tottenham-hotspur

AgileMyth

Cill Dara Abu wrote: »

Poor mans Dimitar Berbatov

You're either a troll or an idiot. Or you don't watch much football.

Hes ten times the player Berbatov is.

Bodhisopha

I think a little piece of Zlatan died when he saw up close and personal how good Messi is and realized he will never be the best.

Pinturicchio

A little piece of him must die every time he tries to play against Giorgio Chiellini too.

Luis21

Brilliant player.
Lazy git.

Devilman40k

Not overrated, just wastes his talent, if he had applied himself more he could have been one of the greats by now

super_furry

"Serie A is a tournament in which various teams compete and then at the end Zlatan Ibrahimovic wins."

Seriously, the myopia of some English Premier League fans is staggering.

Guy:Incognito

super_furry wrote: »

"Serie A is a tournament in which various teams compete and then at the end whoever cheats best wins."
.

fyp

steelcityblues

He is fortunate that Tevez and Balotelli are even more unlikeable.

Uncle Mclovin

I don't think its that people don't rate him. I think its more to do with his rubbish attitude and this forms a negative opinion in peoples minds about him.

Anyone who says he's rubbish is clearly away with the birds and duly should be ignored.

Gone Drinking

AgileMyth wrote: »

You're either a troll or an idiot. Or you don't watch much football.

Hes ten times the player Berbatov is.

Hook, line and sinker

steelcityblues

AgileMyth wrote: »

You're either a troll or an idiot. Or you don't watch much football.

Hes ten times the player Berbatov is.

He probably is better - but not by much.

Berbatov has the better international goals/games ratio of the two, I think.

gimmick

Uncle Mclovin wrote: »

I don't think its that people don't rate him. I think its more to do with his rubbish attitude and this forms a negative opinion in peoples minds about him.

Anyone who says he's rubbish is clearly away with the birds and duly should be ignored.

People definitely do not rate him, but that is down to their own lack of seeing him play than anything else.

But you are bang on re his attitude. I can only speak for his time at Barca, but once his head dropped, he was a complete and utter liability. While his head was up, I thought he and Messi combined very well. FFS, 21 goals in a debut season in a new league and 9 assists is a pretty excellent return. Then he lost his confidence, and seemed to wallow rather than pull his socks up and work hard.

His parting shot when going to AC last year then spoke volumes about the guys professionalism, or lack thereof.

Its a shame, I would have loved to see him be a huge success at Barca. Instead its a case of what could have been, or in some (misinformed) peoples minds - a flop.

pickarooney

If winning 38 league titles in a row on 7 continents is your barometer for success then clearly he's been wasting his talent all this time.

Crazy Horse 6

DOC09UNAM wrote: »

Would love to see him try england out, smashing player, probably the best out and out striker I've ever seen...

Steady on he's a class act but i can think of at least 10 off the top of my head who i rate above him. Make that 20.

Dempsey

Bored with football but not enough to go do something else because he's happy with the pay cheque! I imagine this is the feeling that most professional players get once they make enough to be financially set long term.

stovelid

At least he's being honest about it. Sure he's not the only one.

Corsendonk

Performance related pay is the way to go, see how bored they are when they can't get a game. Never rated him, one of those players that wanders around Europe collecting cheques then retires to Quatar for 6 months on crazy money.

GLaDOS

Corsendonk wrote: »

PNever rated him, one of those players that wanders around Europe collecting cheques

Not to mention titles

pickarooney

Corsendonk wrote: »

Performance related pay is the way to go, see how bored they are when they can't get a game. Never rated him, one of those players that wanders around Europe collecting cheques then retires to Quatar for 6 months on crazy money.

Given his statistics, I'm pretty sure he'd be even better off on a performance-related salary.

gnfnrhead

I knew he won his fair share of titles, but never knew just how many.

League titles:
2001-02
2003-04
2004-05*
2005-06*
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
2010-11

*Juve, so revoked afterwards.

He has to be pissed off knowing he is only missing one year out of the last ten. Doubt you'll find anyone else with that kind of record in major leagues.

Also, only once he has failed to make 15 league goals per season. Amazing records and is a great player, when he wants to be. I havent seen him enough to make a definitive judgement on him but he does seem to blow (boiling) hot and cold very often.

Giggsy11

I love watching him play. He is a genius, some of the tricks he pulls off are unreal. Entertainer.

I hope he plays for few more years. One of the best player of his generation, shame that he never won champions league.

Bodhisopha

gnfnrhead wrote: »

I knew he won his fair share of titles, but never knew just how many.

League titles:
2001-02
2003-04
2004-05*
2005-06*
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
2010-11

*Juve, so revoked afterwards.

He has to be pissed off knowing he is only missing one year out of the last ten. Doubt you'll find anyone else with that kind of record in major leagues.

Also, only once he has failed to make 15 league goals per season. Amazing records and is a great player, when he wants to be. I havent seen him enough to make a definitive judgement on him but he does seem to blow (boiling) hot and cold very often.

That's him in a nutshell. Fantastically talented player but goes missing on the biggest stage too often. Not an ATG.

Ulysses Gaze

How seriously can you take his Scudetti with Inter though given the one horse race that Serie A became after Calciopoli?

And with Barcelona he was playing with the best collective of players in the world at the time.

And at Milan he was against an imploding Inter Milan side and a dreadful Juve.

Good player. But incredibly overrated. Even in his prime I wouldn't rate Ibrahimovic over the following Serie A strikers I've seen:

Baggio,
Signori,
Del Piero
Crespo
Shevchenko
Trezeguet
Ronaldo
Batistuta

jaykay74

Ulysses Gaze wrote: »

How seriously can you take his Scudetti with Inter though given the one horse race that Serie A became after Calciopoli?

And with Barcelona he was playing with the best collective of players in the world at the time.

And at Milan he was against an imploding Inter Milan side and a dreadful Juve.

Good player. But incredibly overrated. Even in his prime I wouldn't rate Ibrahimovic over the following Serie A strikers I've seen:

Baggio,
Signori,
Del Piero
Crespo
Shevchenko
Trezeguet
Ronaldo
Batistuta

baffling

Mont

Ulysses Gaze wrote: »

How seriously can you take his Scudetti with Inter though given the one horse race that Serie A became after Calciopoli?

And with Barcelona he was playing with the best collective of players in the world at the time.

And at Milan he was against an imploding Inter Milan side and a dreadful Juve.

Good player. But incredibly overrated. Even in his prime I wouldn't rate Ibrahimovic over the following Serie A strikers I've seen:

Baggio,
Signori,
Del Piero
Crespo
Shevchenko
Trezeguet
Ronaldo
Batistuta

In fairness they are some of the best strikers of all time in that list.

I would have him better than Signori, Crespo and Trezeguet. But come on the rest are legends of the game. There are only a couple of players better than the other 4 and arguably Ronaldo was the best striker of all time.

magma69

Poor crater is bored. My heart bleeds for him.

Pinturicchio

jaykay74 wrote: »

baffling

Trezeguet averaged more than a goal every other game for a decade at Juve.

pickarooney

Pinturicchio wrote: »

Trezeguet averaged more than a goal every other game for a decade at Juve.

The most underrated striker of his generation imo. If you're going to try dismiss zlatan's achievements by pointing ot that he was playing in great teams, ask yourself why those teams bought him.

Zatman

Good player vs the Catanias and Lecces of this world but put him against a decent defence and he useless.

His display at Anfield a few years ago was possibly the worst and most disgraceful performance ive seen from a so called "world class" striker

Seaneh

So Real Madrid, whom he destroyed two seasons ago, or Arsenal whom he pushed around like they were nothing the same season, or Inter in the Derby last season, all useless defences?

Get the boat, the man is top tier.

Zatman

Seaneh wrote: »

So Real Madrid, whom he destroyed two seasons ago, or Arsenal whom he pushed around like they were nothing the same season, or Inter in the Derby last season, all useless defences?

Get the boat, the man is top tier.

He got one goal vs Real Madrid hardly say he destroyed them.

As for Arsenal game he missed at least 4 chances before he scored on them. They are hardly a top team either.

Didnt Spurs and Schalke also destroy that Inter defence they are over the hill.

He is a good player but he disappears in knockout Champions League games year after year.

Was AWOL when barca played Inter in 2010

flahavaj

Seaneh wrote: »

So Real Madrid, whom he destroyed two seasons ago, or Arsenal whom he pushed around like they were nothing the same season, or Inter in the Derby last season, all useless defences?

Get the boat, the man is top tier.

A lot of hyperbole in this post.

Horsefumbler

It could be argued that he has had simply too much success over his career looking at his league titles record anyway. Players who've had to wait years to get a league title or never get it will always have that drive in them to win. But if you win every year almost its not that hard to imagine it becoming a bit of a chore. Well it wouldnt for me but if yur a lazy kunt like him then maybe.

Kold

Are you guys the same people who pipe out the 'Well count yourself lucky to have a job' whenever someone complains about their work? This has been his life for nearly 2 decades. Sounds like making a big deal out of a comment.

Giggsy11

Pinturicchio wrote: »

Trezeguet averaged more than a goal every other game for a decade at Juve.

Is there a assit count also to consider?

Trezeguet is/was a very good striker but Zlatan was easily better than him.

And if you consider goal ratio,

In England:
Bergkamp: 0.27 goals per match (Overall 0.36)
Darren Bent: 0.43

Still can't believe people use the old "He is a big game choker" bs. He has done it in 3 different leagues. He did it in Serie A when the league was the best with Juventus.

Edit: He was one of the key players for Milan and in the first half he was on different level. I wouldn't be wrong if I say he was the main reason why Milan won the title last season.

Iang87

never though he was bad but felt he was overrated and overpaid for that matter.

Pinturicchio

He does disappear in too many big matches. Since he left Juve, he has never played well against them. He rarely has much of an impact in CL knock out rounds either.