Zlatan Ibrahimovic

There is always someone in your life that you look up to or want to be like, they are your hero. The person is inspirational, determined and influental. My hero is Zlatan Ibrahimovic because he has changed the world of futbol in so many ways. Zlatan was born in Malmo, Sweden on October 3, 1981. He was born into a poor family with a dad that was Muslim Bosniak and a mom who was Catholic Croat. He didn’t have a great childhood and had to deal with his problems himself. A hero must possess determination and be influential. A determined person doesn't quite even if the odds are against them. A hero is influential because he/she shows people how to keep going and shows that anyone can do anything. Zlatan possesses all of these characteristics and makes him my hero and an inspiration to me.

Zlatan had a hard childhood in Malmo, Sweden making him much more determined than other players. Zlatan grew up in a very tough neighborhood called Rosengård which made him have a wanting attitude to get out of the ghetto. ”Ibrahimović grew up in Rosengård, a poor Malmö neighborhood. He excelled at soccer as a youth, but his behavior often led him into trouble. He dropped out of school to pursue a professional soccer career” (world book student.)  Zlatan group with barely any money. The people who saw him play when he was young hated him and didn't want him on their team. This made him determined to keep going. He showed all the haters he could do it. He thrived on all the hate which made him play better and better. Zlatan didn’t start off on the right foot in Malmo. No one was watching what he was doing and no one was helping him get better.  “His mother was abusive, and Ibrahimovic was anything but a model child. He got into trouble often, throwing rocks at cars, shoplifting, and stealing bicycles” (Gale biography in context.) He stole these things because he liked the thrill or buzz he got from stealing. This was the wrong path to go down but this is one of the things that made him strong-willed because he started to realize when he got older that if he didn't step up his game he didn't have a chance to make it out of Rosengård. He figured out that the more he spent on the soccer pitch the less time he would be stealing and started to work harder and harder on the pitch making him better. Zlatan became very determined from the bad background and the realization that without stepping up his game he would never get out of Rosengård.

Zlatan was very influential because he showed that a kid from the ghetto can make it into the big leagues. Zlatan influenced many by scoring the best and craziest goals. This was how he got attention because of his spectacular ways of scoring. ”Steven Gerrard, the English captain, congratulated Ibrahimovic, telling him it was the best goal he had ever seen. ‘Sometimes you have to hold your hands up to a special individual performance’ he said later. ‘And that was a world-class performance from a world-class player’” (“best goal ever.”) When one of the best players like Steven Gerrard tells you that it is the best goal he has ever seen you know it actually is. Zlatan’s bicycle kick was one of the best goals ever scored making him very influential. Him scoring a goal like that boosted his reputation and the clip was watched thousands of times. This influenced many more. Zlatan coming from a poor family and neighborhood didn't get much attention. This all changed with soccer. ”I had been trying to get attention my whole life, and now, suddenly , people were turning up, awestruck, asking for autographs” (I am Zlatan.) Zlatan was now finally get attention when he started playing for the pro team of Malmo FF in 1999. Kids where coming up to him asking for autographs. This had never happened when he was a kid because of the poor household. This was the beginning of him becoming very influential. Zlatan was very influential because of his background and how successful he became even though he came from a poor Swedish neighborhood.

Zlatan is a hero because he is determined and influential to many people. He was determined because he got out of the poor neighborhood and made it into the big leagues. This also influenced many to do what he did and make it out of the rough neighborhoods. Zlatan inspired me and others because of how far he made it into the big leagues. He showed that you can become successful no matter where you come from. “From rough beginnings, he evolved from a childhood thief to an international soccer star. Brash, polarizing, and incredibly talented, Ibrahimovic's athletic skills have made him one of Europe's most prolific and flamboyant goal scorers. (Gale Biography in context.) He wasn't the best kid from the best family but now he inspires many by becoming the best possible.  "I came like a king, left like a legend."-Zlatan Ibrahimovic right before leaving PSG. Zlatan has truly showed the world anything is possible no matter where you come from.

Bumgardner, Jake. "Ibrahimović, Zlatan." World Book Student, World Book, 2019,

www.worldbookonline.com/student-new/#/article/home/ar756220. Accessed 18 Jan. 2019.

"The best goal ever." Maclean's, 3 Dec. 2012, p. 10. Biography In Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A310651280/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=52d45440. Accessed 18 Jan. 2019.

"Zlatan Ibrahimovic." Gale Biography in Context, Gale, 2014. Biography In Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1650009361/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=6ba49015. Accessed 18 Jan. 2019.

Ibrahimović Zlatan, and David Lagercrantz. I Am Zlatan: My Story on and off the Field. Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2014.