Photo: Bildbyrån
Maximilian Ibrahimovic was part of the U18 national team that was recently at a training camp in Spain.
But when there are European Championship qualifiers, Zlatan’s son is no longer allowed to participate.
– There is fierce competition for the places and this time I judged that other players were ahead, says national team captain Andreas Pettersson to Sportbladet.
1999 did Zlatan Ibrahimovic43, a total of four games and one goal for the Swedish U18 national team. He then belonged to Malmö FF and played sporadically in the Allsvenskan. 25 years later, his eldest son got Maximilian18, suddenly got the chance in the Swedish P18 national team that went to Spain to play training at the beginning of October.
“Fierce competition”
The Milan striker, who plays in the club’s junior team, made his international debut against Japan, but failed to score.
– There will be much more to come, he promised after the match.
ADVERTISEMENT: Compete for a unique winter experience in the Swedish rally!
But unfortunately, there will be no more national team games for Maximilian at the moment. The national team captain Andreas Pettersson has chosen to poke Ibrahimovic in the squad he has picked for the European Championship qualifiers against Georgia (November 13), Estonia (November 16) and Norway (November 19). To some extent, the poke is because he feels Maximilian has not performed enough so far, but also because he has fewer players available to this collection.
– He is not with this time, says Pettersson to Sportbladet and continues:
– There is fierce competition for the places and this time I judged that other players were ahead. In addition, we have two fewer players in the squad this time; 20 instead of 22. It’s because of Uefa rules.
Still relevant going forward
That doesn’t mean it’s all over for Maximilian Ibrahimovic. The 18-year-old can continue to train and develop in Milan, and he may very well be selected in the next P18 national team squad.
– Absolutely. Of course we follow him in Milan and if he continues to develop and play well there, he will be relevant for the national team in the future, says Andreas Pettersson.
READ MORE: Maximilian Ibrahimovic dribbles up Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the stands
READ MORE: Maximilian Ibrahimovic opens up about father Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Previously, Maximilian spoke about what it was like to grow up with Sweden’s all-time best soccer player, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, as his father.
– I hated football until I was eleven and thought it was the worst thing there was. I just hated it. Everything was wrong, I was always compared to my dad so it was just wrong. Then I found the love for the sport. When I turned twelve, I really started to like playing, he has told Expressen.
– I don’t think about it because we are very different. He is him and I am me and we don’t even play in the same position so there is not much to compare, he has said about being constantly compared to Zlatan.
It will be exciting to see if Maximilian gets more playing time in the national team in the future. The possibilities are of course there. Obviously, he’s got some of Zlatan’s talent, but it’s unfair to expect him to perform at the same level as his father.
Share