PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Earlier this year, Zlatan Ibrahimovic ended his football career.
Now Thomas Ravelli has a clear call for “Ibra”.
– He has to go out with his cars or go to his houses around, he says to Sportbibeln.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, newly 42-year-old, decided in May of this year that it was time to put the football boots on the shelf. This after a long and great career with games in, among others, the Swedish national team, AC Milan, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain.
Ravelli’s Tribute
Thomas Ravelli64, in turn ended his professional football career in 1998. The goalkeeper legend now pays tribute to Zlatan and his footballing deed.
– It is an “outstanding” career. Just look at how many golden balls he has received. What he misses a little is perhaps the Champions League and having played in a national team that could have gone a little further in the tournaments. After all, he has played in big clubs, and for so long. It is hard to imagine that we will produce that type of player again in Sweden, I actually don’t think so, says Ravelli to Sportbibeln.
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The two Swedish football legends have only greeted each other once and do not know each other. But Ravelli still has a fairly clear picture of Ibrahimovic as a person.
– He is like all other people – develops and learns things over time the older you get. He is not the same person he was when he was 18-19-20 years old. But it is an adult now who knows what decisions to make and how to behave towards others as well. Zlatan is a world star.
Urges Zlatan
Since “Ibra” stopped playing football, there has been wild speculation as to what awaits him next. According to Italian media, he is approaching a leadership role at AC Milan. But Ravelli does not think that Zlatan necessarily needs to throw himself into his next project right now.
– I think it is good that you get away from football for a while before you go back. And really think to yourself, “Do I really want to do this?” If you then do it, you must commit to it 100 percent.
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The 1994 World Cup hero doesn’t think there’s any point in doing something just for the sake of doing it.
– There’s no point in taking on something because you think “eh, now I have nothing to do, now I’ll go in and do something half-baked”. It’s probably good if he really thinks, “this is what I want to do, this is what I’m going to do as well as I did on the football field”.
READ MORE: Thomas Ravelli’s adamant criticism of the Swedish national team – the WC 94 hero’s honest words: “They have incredibly big problems”
“Take a vacation”
The most important thing Zlatan can do now, Ravelli thinks, is to rest and recover after his 24-year career.
– I mean, he has played football until he is 41 years old. He must have some time off and vacation. Go out with their cars or go to their houses around and rest a little and enjoy life too.
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