5 little-known facts about Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Zlatan Ibrahimovic -- The man needs no special introduction. His swagger, enigma and the I-know-it-all attitude have garnered rave reviews.

The mighty Swede is a known entertainer both on and off the pitch. To describe, in short, he is Eric Cantona reborn. You get under the nose of Zlatan, it will not end well for you.

Perhaps, the only reason he is so adored is he does what he says. He has a loud mouth and does everything he says on the pitch to prove his point. Balotelli and Bendtner are two players who are similar to him off the pitch. But, on the pitch, they do not compare to the Swedish legend. We think we know the man inside out. But that is not so.

We take a look at a few unknown facts about this absolute legend.


#5 Zlatan has a French burger named after him

Le Zl
Le Zlatan; a burger named after Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Image courtesy: The Sportster)

Ibrahimovic has been adored by fans for his funny and outspoken attitude. That's why different fans find different ways to offer a tribute to their hero.

Following his move to PSG, Doddy's Cafe, a cafe located in the Parisian suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt has named one of their burgers after him. 'Le Zlatan' is a gigantic 600g burger which is believed to be amongst the crowd's ultimate favourites.

It combines 600 grams of minced beef with onions, bacon and three types of cheese including cheddar, Emmental and Auvergne blue, all contained in a giant bun that has been specially made.

Jean-Phillipe Grandin, the manager of Doddy's Cafe also confirmed that only seven people have been able to finish it so far. It will be a treat to watch Zlatan tackle this one!

#4 The only player to score with six different clubs in the Champions League

International Champions Cup 2015 - Paris Saint-Germain v ACF Fiorentina
Zlatan celebrating his goal for PSG

Zlatan Ibrahimovic remains the only player to have scored with six different clubs in the Champions League, despite never winning the competition. He has scored for Ajax, Barcelona, Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan and PSG in the Champions League.

Manchester United could become the seventh club when he returns after recuperating from his knee injury, provided of course, they make it to the knockout stages and he is named in the squad later. He won the Europa League last year, but Champions League still remains the dream for him. Barcelona and Inter Milan won the Champions League in 2010 and 2011 just after he left them.

With Zlatan already in the twilight in his career, he might not get a better opportunity this time as United are looking good in all departments.

#3 Zlatan loves Scarface

Image result for Ibrahimovic tattoo
Scarface is Zlatan Ibrahimovic's favorite movie

Out of all the movies Zlatan has watched, Scarface is his ultimate favourite amongst all. The Swedish striker watches his favourite movie about two or three times every year. He has also gone on record as saying if he could invite anyone round for dinner, it would be Al Pacino.

Scarface is the story of a Cuban refugee named Tony Montana who arrives in Miami with nothing and goes on to become a powerful drug kingpin. Al Pacino played the role of Tony Montana in the movie.

#2 A friendship for the ages

Image result for Zlatan and Maxwell
Zlatan and Maxwell: Friends forever

The friendship of Ibra and Maxwell has gone down as one of the most celebrated bromances in the world of football. Both played together at Ajax, Barcelona, Inter Milan and PSG.

When Zlatan signed for Ajax in 2001, he met Maxwell on his first day in Amsterdam. The two have been best friends ever since. In his youth years, Ibrahimovic was much of a spendthrift. It was Maxwell who took care of him in those times.

Maxwell also let Ibrahimovic share his apartment. The Brazilian is quite the opposite of the outspoken Swede. He likes being quiet on the pitch as well as off it and doesn't have as big an ego. It came as no surprise to the fans when Zlatan wrote about Maxwell in his autobiography.

Sometimes I'm surprised he's become so good. Nice guys like him usually don't make it in football.

#1 The player who nutmegged Zlatan

Aurelien Chedjou
Aurelien Chedjou

Not many can boast about having nutmegged Zlatan Ibrahimovic. But, one unexpected name has earned that right.

Aurelien Chedjou, the Cameroonian defender, will cherish that moment for the rest of his life. It happened when Lille faced PSG in a Ligue 1 face-off. The Parisians were finding hard to break Lille's defence. To top it, Lille had dominated possession for most of the game.

A frustrated figure up front, Zlatan then tried to inflict pain on Lille's defenders by running at them all by himself. And then it happened. As Ibra came rushing in, Chedjou pushed the ball through his legs with short touches.

Ibrahimovic gave a broad smile because he knew he had been outclassed. The defender had earned his respect in great fashion.

Now comes the funniest part. PSG won the game 1-0, thanks to an own goal by Chedjou. You just don't mess with Zlatan!

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Edited by Amit Mishra