Top 12 strikers at the moment (Part 5)
8. Zlatan Ibrahimovic:
Many would not like Ibrahimovic as a player, many would think he is simply over rated but there is simply no doubt that Zlatan has done wonders throughout his career. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a player who is filled with style, charisma and has the ability to finish the ball into the net.
The Swedish strikers started his career from Ajax and he was simply a “success” in the Dutch team. The world saw an emerging talent in the Dutch league as the youngster managed to score 35 goals in only 74 appearances. His average throughout his time in the Dutch team was phenomenal. He managed to score almost 0.5 goals in a single match making it a goal in every second game that he played. He managed to win the Dutch league with his team and helped them win it by scoring goals for them as a striker. One of his goals in Ajax is still regarded as one of the best goals ever. He managed to dodge 6 players from outside the box and then finished the ball into net by even dribbling the goalkeeper.
His talent was well recognized throughout the world and he was bought by the Italian team Juventus. Ibrahimovic struggled to get a first team slot in the Italian club but once he got the ball at his feet near the 18 yard box, he managed to finish it into the net and soon he started to become famous in the Italian league. The Swedish striker scored another sensation while playing for Juventus as he flipped himself when the ball was coming at him and managed to score through his back heel. His back heeling ability then became famous and he used to score with style once he got the ball in the D. He again managed to win the league with Juventus and was then taken in by the other Italian team, Inter Milan.
His career in Inter Milan took new heights as he started to become a “key” player for the club. The coach later started to call Ibrahimovic as the “Plan B” of the club and while they were busy defending the goal they used to pass the ball onto Zlatan Ibrahimovic and he used to do the job for his team. He managed to top the goal scoring charts and became the highest goal scorer of the Italian league. After winning 2 leagues in a row with Inter Milan, there was deal struck by the Spanish club Barcelona to sign the player.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was involved in a swap deal with a player who was definitely better than him in scoring goals. Samuel Eto’o. Eto’o was to be transferred to the Italian club while the Swedish striker had to leave for Spain as he was now a part of one of the greatest clubs at that time, Barcelona.
In Barcelona, Zlatan did not really manage to do what he was capable of and there were many critics who pointed finger at him and said that he wasn’t worth the money that Barcelona paid for him. Sacrificing their best striker Eto’o and then paying an amount above him to grab a player like him. He only managed to score goals just above the 20 mark and the benched striker Pedro was the one who managed to score almost as many goals as Zlatan Ibrahimovic
With so much criticism taken, Zlatan was involved in a deal with another Italian club AC Milan who were trying to sign him as their owner was too eager to sign a new striker. With Ronaldinho in the squad and with issues flying around in the Barcelona management, regarding his stance in the first team after David Villa’s signing, Ibrahimovic left for Milan on a loan deal.
Even though he wasn’t much of a success in Barcelona, he is definitely a very intriguing part of the attacking line up of any team that he is a part of. Moreover, he is considered to be a luck charm for teams as he has helped them win leagues. That is right, Zlatan has managed to win all the league titles along with any team that he has been a part of.
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