Zlatan Ibrahimovic glad to be back in the Swedish team
Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has said that he is enjoying being back in action for his national team ahead of their Euro 2012 qualifier against the Netherlands on Tuesday.
Ibrahimovic, who took a break from international football after Sweden failed to reach the 2010 World Cup, told Dutch weekly Voetbal International that he is happy to have returned to captain Erik Hamren's team.
"I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the time off I received instead, even though I knew how special it is to play for your country. I used the extra days to visit London, and above all to be with my family," said the AC Milan striker. "My father is
Bosnian, my mother is Croatian, but Sweden is my home."
Several of Sweden's players, including Pontus Wernbloom, Ola Toivonen and Emir Bajrami, are currently playing for teams in the Dutch Eredivisie.
Highlights similarities in Dutch and Swedish culture
Ibrahimovic, who spent three seasons with Ajax Amsterdam before moving to Juventus in 2004, said that the cultural similarities between the two countries are a big reason why so many of Sweden's best players move to the Netherlands.
"The Netherlands has long been a perfect place for Swedish players to develop, and if you ask me there are several reasons. First and foremost, it's the similarities in the every day life. When you arrive in a new country you have to feel at home, otherwise
it'll never turn out well."
Despite the recent advances of extreme-right parties in both countries, Ibrahimovic said the two nations also share an element of multiculturalism.
"In many Swedish cities there is a multicultural society, just as there is in many Dutch cities. I come from a part of Malmo where there are more immigrants than native Swedes. I have always enjoyed being around people from different backgrounds. That's
been an advantage, especially when coming to the Netherlands where many different types [of people] are in the same group."
The teams will relish the opportunity to gain a firm grip on Group E in Tuesday's game. Both Sweden and the Netherlands have six points after their first two qualifiers.
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