The Layperson’s Guide to Ibra, Courtesy of the Swedish Press

By: Martha | February 13th, 2007

As a part of an admirable, profoundly important effort to catch their readers up on the lives and loves of what they call “Sweden’s celebrity set,” The Local (an English-language Swedish newspaper) yesterday published a quick-and-dirty, Q & A-style profile of our beloved Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Apparently your typical, English-speaking Swede is less than familiar with the great Ibra, and needs to be guided into understanding via connections with totally illogical points of reference. Really — Puffy, Lance Armstrong and Al Pacino are all somehow wrangled into the piece, ostensibly to provide Ibra with a recognizable context. (I’m going to go out on a limb here and say the Swedes are weird. Or at least their English-language press is. I mean, Puffy?!)

In addition to unearthing previously unknown connections between Ibra and various (other) cultural and sporting icons, The Local also makes mention of the gawky Swede being serenaded by prisoners near the Juve training ground. While the fact that they called him “Ibracadabra” is fairly cute, I couldn’t help but wonder why Juve train near a prison. Can they not afford better real estate? Wait. I bet they raising money for the Delle Alpi renovation by putting prisoners up in the training ground. That makes perfect sense. (I feel like there’s a snide Nedved remark in there somewhere, either about being punished or having girly hair, but I can’t quite get hold of it. Damn.)

Category: Inter Milan, Rumors & News, Serie A

Tags: Ibra, Ibrahimovic, Inter Milan, Rumors -amp; News, Serie A, Sweden

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• Louise |  February 13th, 2007 at 1:31 pm

  
  
  

  he was soon being ogled by a big Dutchman called Leo Beenhakker

  “ogled”? Poor Ibra!

  Oh, and your favorite commentator, Ray Hudson, calls Ibra “Ibracadabra,” so I guess he has been imprisoned in Torino at some point in the last few years.

  Posted from United States

  

• Martha |  February 13th, 2007 at 2:02 pm

  
  
  

  HHAHAA!!!! I never noticed that, Louise — oddly, it makes me hate Hudson slightly less. (I cannot get over the fact that he was a successful manager. How could his players stand to listen to him?)

  Posted from United States

  

• Bob |  February 13th, 2007 at 2:33 pm

  
  
  

  I’m going to take a wild guess and say that the author of that piece, Paul O’Mahony, is not Swedish.

  Posted from United States

  

• Martha |  February 13th, 2007 at 2:40 pm

  
  
  

  Don’t be so sure, Bob. After all, the piece is about a Swede named Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

  Posted from United States

  

• Louise |  February 13th, 2007 at 11:47 pm

  
  
  

  Martha, I guess it depends on how you define “success”. He had a good record for one of his years in Miami, but couldn’t do much with DC United in his two years there. I would think playing for him would be excrutiating.

  I live in DC and used to think his sound bites on the local news were hysterical. But having to listen to 90+ minutes of his banter is enough to drive anyone insane. But I do like that he calls Canna a rotweiller.

  If you ever have a few minutes, check out his wikipedia page which has a listing of quotes, some of which are obviously fake because they involve him doing interesting things to players he admires.

  Posted from United States

  

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