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#3 Build
Standing at 195 cms, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a towering presence on the field and as a striker, it enables him to do two things by being dominant aerially. First of all, he has the obvious advantage of rising above defenders to head the ball home.
Secondly, his gait and strength makes him a great target-man. Zlatan can hold the ball up well and when his team is struggling to dominate the proceedings in midfield, he can offer an alternate route via long balls to make incursions into the final third.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is one of the most powerful strikers of the 21st century and it is hard to shake him off the ball. In fact, there are few defenders who can go toe-to-toe with the Swede.
#2 Passing and vision
To say that Zlatan Ibrahimovic is just a good goalscorer would, in fact, be quite reductive. The 38-year-old is an excellent footballer all-round. Though he has been largely fielded as a striker, he has played in all positions across the frontline and has even filled in as a creative playmaker in the latter stages of his career.
Zlatan was never famous for his pace, particularly over short distances. As such, he has moulded his game around it and thanks to his excellent ball retention skills and vision, he often assumes the role of a playmaker who can release other players into space.
This adeptness that gives him a great understanding of the game and has enabled him to be incredible with his movement off the ball. The partnership that he struck with Paul Pogba at Manchester United is a recent example of how well he can combine with other players and sniff out opportunities.
#1 Composure
In addition to the obvious finishing ability and elite mentality, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has cemented his legacy as one of the greatest strikers in the game thanks to incredible composure ability to keep his cool in front of goal.
Fabio Capello had remarked about how he once asked Zlatan Ibrahimovic to watch videos of Van Basten to improve his finishing and the Swede started taking to it almost immediately.
"I wanted him to become more ruthless in front of goal and improve his finishing. He had the same technical skills as Van Basten and I made him watch some videos of him to improve his finishing.
"I told him to watch Van Basten's movements inside the area and the way he used to score goals. Ibra got it straight away; I think results are out there to prove it. He is a very humble guy and he worked every day to improve. He’s proud of himself too, he loves being the best."
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has made sure that his performances on the field has to keep up with all the hype he creates around himself away from it. At 38-years-old, he continues to keep it up and that is, in no small part, thanks to his ability to remain unfazed in the face of challenges.
