Now that’s a true educator. Zlatan Ibrahimovic once took the keys to a teammate’s car and fixed his hair in a tight bun while he was still playing.
“Ibrahimovic was violent,” the UK’s TalkSPORT reported on Wednesday (June 13). He once took away the car keys of an AC Milan teammate to teach him a lesson and threatened him. He was never one to mince words. Just ask Pep Guardiola or Alexis Selleckers,” he said, referring to the time Ibrahimovic took away Selleckers’ car keys.
Asmir Begovic, who played alongside Ibrahimovic at Milan in the 2019-20 season, recounted an incident in which Ibrahimovic confiscated Salemakus’ car keys, according to the media.
According to Begovic, Salemakus was only 20 years old at the time, but he had gotten into the habit of showing up to training in a flashy sports car. Ibrahimovic saw this and taught him a lesson as a senior.
“It was ridiculous,” Begovic says. Ibrahimovic liked to keep young players in place,” says Begovic. “Salemacus was on loan with the intention of buying him outright. The first few days he was quiet and nice, but after a week or two he showed up at training in a brand new Porsche,” he recalls.
“The first thing Ibrahimovic did was take the car keys and say, ‘Hey, I’m taking this car back to the dealer, and if you don’t want to do it, I’ll do it for you,'” he recalls. “Salemakus followed Ibrahimovic’s lead and returned the car and bought a 메이저사이트 more modest car. It was pretty funny that Ibrahimovic made him age him,” he says, explaining that Ibrahimovic taught him a lesson.
Ibrahimovic’s tutelage paid off, as Salemacus refocused on soccer and became a permanent member of the Milan squad after a loan move. He went on to make 140 appearances and in the 2021-22 season, alongside Ibrahimovic, led Milan to their first Serie A title in 11 years.
Ibrahimovic, then a firebrand, returned in the second half of the season after suffering a major injury, rupturing his Achilles tendon, and was a key figure in the title, scoring eight goals and providing three assists in 23 league games. Salemacus was also a key member of the title-winning squad after taking a beating from Ibrahimovic, who is nearly 20 years his junior.
“Ibrahimovic was tough,” Begovic said. He set high standards in training. “The way he trained as an athlete, the way he pushed himself at 38 or 39 years old, he became a reference point for everyone. “The way he trained as a player, the way he pushed, even at 38 or 39 years old, was a benchmark for everyone.
“The way he carried himself on the field, the aura that he had, even to this day, not many players have,” he said, adding, “He was the best player, the best person, and he was actually my best friend. He was definitely someone I took a lot of inspiration from,” he recalled, adding that he had a lot to learn from him as a human being.
