Fingernails were bitten, but the Camp Nou crowd saw their side edge another excellent performance from PSG. Barça were second best until Lionel Messi came on and despite playing at 60% or so due to an injury, the Argentine led the Catalans into the back of the net. Ryu was in Barcelona to see the mighty Zlatan go silent as Pedro stole the show.
[You can interact with Ryu on twitter @Toksuede and check his Flickr. Posted by Eric.]
The main complaint about football in major European capitals (London aside) is that the size of the city prevents any sort of the tribal passion you’ll find in the smaller communities and villages from developing. Well, tonight was different. Paris became united through Paris St. Germain’s rebellious performance against Barcelona. After the Champions League match, PSG midfielder Blaise Matuidi said: “We’re happy with what we produced against the best team in the world. We showed Paris could be great.”
Ryu was in the French capital to see Thiago Silva, Zlatan, and company put in a memorable performance against Messi and his new tattoo that looks like it’s inspired by The Walking Dead. [You can interact with Ryu on twitter @Toksuede and check his Flickr. Posted by Eric.]
It was the grand derby, Le Classique between Paris St Germain and Marseille. PSG hoped to extend their lead in Ligue 1, and were somewhat fortunate to come away with a cool 2-0 victory. Beckham finally made his debut in France, coming on for the final 15 minutes and playing a chip that would lead to Zlatan Ibrahimovic grabbing the second for the French giants. Ryu was in town to see the derby, as well as Beckhamania jumping right into Zlatan’s arms.
Interact with Ryu on twitter @Toksuede and explore his Flickr. Posted by Eric.
Oh, the Champions League was going on too? We were taken aback by the Zlatan Show™, and rightfully so. The Swede is the man of the moment, and watching Ibrahimovic in his element at the Parc des Princes in Paris was a sight to see, even if PSG vs. Porto was not a particularly memorable match. Ryu had his camera in hand in “Par-eeee” and did a little portrait of one of the game’s greatest characters.
Interact with Ryu on twitter @Toksuede and check his Flickr. Posted by Eric.
It was one of those rare moments. It was one of those moments when language languishes into nothingness and even the most eloquent descend into senseless drivel. It was a moment when all opinion was void, and instead replaced with pure, universal awe. And Zlatan’s bicycle kick from 30 yards out was not a mistake, nor was it a singular ounce of brilliance. This was not a mediocre player scoring the goal of his life; no, this added a fourth to an already sensational hat-trick against England. Zlatan ripped his shirt off and ran to his applauding teammates, but his post-match reaction? “It was a nice goal.”
We were left speechless. Then Swedish reporter Anna Brolin asked, “What happens in your head?”, and Ibrahimovic replied, “Magic, magic.” There was no rebuttal to be had. An arrogance we would normally detest transformed into something beloved, something unquestionably justified. We sit here struggling for words, but what was your reaction? [GIF by Josh. Words by Eric. Follow AFR]
No explanation necessary. Even though it’s six years old, this (ahem… “Who’s Da Man?” by “Elias featuring Frans”) remains the undisputed best Swedish reggae tune about Zlatan Ee-bra-heem-oh-vic to have ever been recorded…
Lyrics:
No one kicks the football like the one, Zlatan, I say Zlatan
When you look up, he’s on the run, Zlatan, I say Zlatan
His own style has made him rich, Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
He was raised in a poor part of town called Rosengard.
It’s a place where people fight to survive
Everyone saw, that little boy was a special one
He looked in your eyes, and gave you the smile and fooled you up for a while
No one kicks the football like the one, Zlatan, I say Zlatan
When you look up, he’s on the run, Zlatan, I say Zlatan
His own style has made him rich, Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
I want to see you again and again you’re my magic friend.
I only dream of playing together with you.
Bad people say, all of your magic will fade away.
Bullsh*t to me, a blind man could see, when you move on they are history
No one kicks the football like the one, Zlatan, I say Zlatan
When you jump, he’s on the run, Zlatan, I say Zlatan
His own style has made him rich, Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Who’s da man, Zlatan, Zlatan
I say
Who’s da man, Zlatan, Zlatan
Come on
Who’s da man, Zlatan, Zlatan
I say
Who’s da man, Zlataaaaaaaan
No one kicks the football like the one, Zlatan, I say Zlatan
When you look up, he’s on the run, Zlatan, I say Zlatan
His own style has made him rich, Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
No one kicks the football like the one, Zlatan, I say Zlatan
When you look up, he’s on the run, Zlatan, I say Zlatan
His own style has made him rich, Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Though it’s in Swedish, you can watch a live performance of this brilliant work here.
Here’s an illustration from Gazzetta Dello Sport regarding the scuffle between Oguchi Onyewu & Zlatan Ibrahimovic during an AC Milan training session. Looks about right, Onyewu would destroy Z in a fight.
(Source: cheekychip)
by Elizabeth Hanchett, writing from New York
It’s done. After a week of rumors and negotiations, FC Barcelona finally unloaded Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimović to AC Milan for 24 million euros, on loan for a season, but with a clause stating that if purchased, he will be with Milan for four seasons.
For a player who was bought for around 70 million euros last season, making him one of the most expensive purchases Barça has made ever, 24 million euros on loan is a steal. And then there are the comments made by Ibra after the Gamper match to the Italian press, where he said “I don’t know what the mister’s problem is with me; he’s only spoken to me twice in six months”, to which Pep responded in his press conference: “If I haven’t spoken to him, it’s for a reason.” And after the contract was signed, Ibra’s declarations to the press were: “This is the end that the great philosopher Guardiola wanted. Whenever I entered a room, he left. I don’t know if he’s scared of me.” ”[Barcelona] won everything without me, with me they won something, but now I play for Milan and my dream is to win the Champions League with them. I will do everything within my power to win at Milan, one of the strongest clubs in the world, even bigger than Barcelona,” and finally “Would I come back if Guardiola leaves? I prefer not to comment on that.” And not only is it the player himself who’s talking, but his manager, Mino Raiola, who’s been putting words in Zlatan’s mouth. In fact, just yesterday, FC Barcelona released a statement concerning Raiola, discussing terms of a potential lawsuit due to defamation of the club and manager. Ouch.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has returned to Italy where he made a name for himself in the Juventus and Inter Milan strips. The Swedish forward joined his third Serie A club after agreeing a season-long loan move with AC Milan. The club possesses the option to sign Zlatan for €24m (£19.75m) at any point throughout the year. Barcelona made Ibrahimovic their record signing last summer when they paid €66m plus Samuel Eto’o for his services and it’s highly debatable whether he was a flop or not.
The player’s agent had been the centre of attention throughout the deal and Mino Raiola made sure he left a comment about the transaction: “Galliani has done really well to drop Barcelona’s price tag from €70m to €24m.”
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