My love for Zlatan grows (Video)

“Barcelona is the team which fix better with [Mario] Balotelli. A medium player for a medium team,” were the words of the forever outspoken Zlatan Ibrahimovic earlier this week. He was, of course, referring to his former Inter Milan teammate Mario Balotelli, now of Manchester City, in relation to his former club.

Naturally the statement isn’t necessarily true; Barcelona are far from a medium team and Balotelli, despite his hot and cold performances, isn’t a medium player. However, it goes to show the outlandish accusations that have seen the giant Swede secure a special place in my heart.

Many have come to the conclusion that his persona isn’t one that would instantly see him endear himself to football fans. Possessing an arrogance that surpasses Jose Mourinho, it’s his continuous reference to himself in the third, and possibly fourth, person that have seen a majority learn to loathe the current Paris St. Germain striker.

There are also the presumptions that because he has never showcased his full capability against an English team, that his arrogance can’t be backed up. That is, of course, a wild accusation, considering Ibrahimovic has netted 244 goals in 498 games in his 13 year career – roughly a goal every two games.

Then, of course, there is *that* goal against France at Euro 2012, a perfect blend of technique and agility, a man of his 6ft 5in frame shouldn’t be capable of. His latest quote is just another example of his attitude, having recently insinuated he deserved the Ballon d’Or at the expense of Lionel Messi because ‘it’s someone else’s turn to win it’.

So while his antics continue to be frowned upon, I, for one, believe his comments are a welcome breath of fresh air in a world where footballers are afraid to really speak their mind...unless they’re on Twitter, of course.  

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