PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Zlatan Ibrahimovic emerged as a major talent in Malmö FF at the turn of the millennium.
At the same time, Niklas Wikegård was the coach of Malmö Redhawks, and he was not impressed by the young footballer.
– He was generally strange, says Wikegård in a video blog according to Expressen.
Between the years 1999 to 2001, a young man played Zlatan Ibrahimovic in Malmö FF, before continuing his football career abroad, with first stop Ajax in the Dutch league. In the same vein, it was now the TV expert Niklas Wikegård coach for Malmö Redhawks.
Wikegård became “starstruck”
At the time, Wikegård was not overly impressed by Ibrahimovic. Almost 15 years later, in 2014, the two profiles bumped into each other in a parking garage.
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Then the former hockey coach tried to start a conversation with the then Paris Saint-Germain player.
– I love Zlatan, but can’t think of a meaningful word. I felt like a five-year-old standing there bawling. Starstrucked, is that what they say? I didn’t think I would be, says Wikegård in a video blog according to Expressen.
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The words about Zlatan
Wikegård does not go into what the conversation was about, and how Ibrahimovic reacted. He had things he wanted to say, but couldn’t get them across.
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But in the video blog, Wikegård brings out the words he intended to say to Zlatan.
– When I was in Malmö and you were a talent, I thought you were an unbearable rascal who ran around spitting and hissing and was generally strange. But in recent years you’ve gone from strength to strength, I wanted to say that, but I couldn’t get it right.
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