PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Many stories have been told about Zlatan Ibrahimovic over the years.
This one is one of the nicest.
– It was nice to see the love and respect he had for his fans, says Brendan Hannan, who worked closely with “Ibra” in the LA Galaxy, to Expressen.
After a long and fine football career chose Zlatan Ibrahimovic last year to put the shoes on the shelf. The 42-year-old has real legend status both inside and outside Sweden’s borders, and is seen as one of the best Swedish players ever.
Unexpected club change
During his career, Ibrahimovic played in many different clubs. An excerpt from his club CV is Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, FC Barcelona and Juventus. “Ibra’s” last club was AC Milan, in which he made two stays, and for which he now works.
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Perhaps the most unexpected change of club on Zlatan’s part was when he left United for LA Galaxy in the American top league. But in the spring of 2018, it was clear that Ibrahimovic would take his pick and pack and leave Manchester for the warmth and glamor of the “City of Angels”.
Zlatan’s nice gesture
One of the first to learn that Ibra had signed for a move to LA Galaxy was the club’s assistant marketing manager at the time Brendan Hannan. The American recalls the chaos that ensued when they were shooting Zlatan’s presentation video, when they needed to get hold of a lion (an animal Ibrahimovic has referred to himself as) at the last moment.
– I got up in the middle of the night in California and called a zoo and told them that we needed a lion for Zlatan, Hannan tells Expressen with a laugh.
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On his way to the photo studio in Manchester, Ibra passed a school. In the schoolyard stood a boy who couldn’t believe his eyes when the football star came by. Then Ibrahimovic decided that the lion had to wait.
– The boy stared and froze as if to ice because he didn’t know what to do. I remember how Zlatan stopped, shouted “kid, come here!” and then he both signed autographs and took pictures with him. It was nice to see directly the love and respect he had for his fans. That he really saw that child, says Brendan Hannan to the evening newspaper.
READ MORE: The celebrity chef’s unexpected tribute to Zlatan Ibrahimovic – now says what everyone thinks about “Ibra”: “He is everything”
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