{"id":1254254,"date":"2022-03-27T18:15:52","date_gmt":"2022-03-27T17:15:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1254254"},"modified":"2022-11-24T23:33:53","modified_gmt":"2022-11-24T23:33:53","slug":"zlatan-ibrahimovic-ballon-dor","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/zlatan-ibrahimovic-ballon-dor\/","title":{"rendered":"Zlatan Ibrahimovic says he’s never been considered for the Ballon d\u2019Or because he\u2019s not \u201cMr Nice Guy\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Zlatan Ibrahimovic believes his outspoken and flamboyant personality have held him back when being seriously considered for the Ballon d\u2019Or, an award he considers “politically’ motivated.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The mercurial Swedish legend is unquestionably considered one of modern football’s greatest-ever strikers, turning out for some of the game’s biggest clubs, including Juventus, Barcelona, Manchester United, Ajax, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain.<\/p>\n

Across a trophy-laden career that has spanned beyond two decades, the 40-year-old has scored a staggering 510 goals, mopping up individual accolades and silverware aplenty, but the Ballon d\u2019Or has eluded his grasp in an era dominated by two superstars.<\/p>\n

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo formed an unbreakable duopoly on football’s most-coveted individual accolade for a decade, with their stranglehold, which started in 2008, finally coming to an end when Luka Modric sealed the gong in 2018.<\/p>\n

Ibrahimovic, for his own efforts, has never placed in the top three, meaning that even in a world without Messi and Ronaldo, he never would have won the award, coming closest in 2013 after placing fourth, behind Ronaldo, Messi and Franck Ribery.<\/p>\n

Despite this, Ibrahimovic says he has no burning desire to win the Ballon d\u2019Or because the makers and shakers want a “Mr Perfect” poster boy, which he admits is not his style.<\/span><\/p>\n

He told\u00a0<\/span>Bild<\/em><\/a>: \u201cThese are political awards. They want \u2018Mr Perfect\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you speak and say what you think you can\u2019t get them.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s easy to give them to Mr Nice Guy. It doesn\u2019t change anything for me, it doesn\u2019t make me better or worse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ibrahimovic has seen his talents take him from Malmo to Milan, to Manchester and even a stateside sojourn for MLS giants LA Galaxy, but despite his globe-trotting predilection, he is yet to appear in the Bundesliga, the last of Europe’s top five leagues that he is yet to conquer.<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cI have always been curious about the Bundesliga. There is a team like Bayern Munich, they are an incredible club.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEvery time I played against them I could always see their facilities, the stadium, their organisation. The history of the club is impressive.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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