Ibrahimovic: "I want to be on the Bernabeu photo"

Barcelona player Zlatan Ibrahimovic gave an interview to Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo.





How are your first days as a Barcelona player going?
I want to get rid of this plaster. I want to go out there on the pitch and train with my team-mates, touch the ball, laugh with them. They are all acting great. You know the best thing? Everything is so simple here, people are very natural, nothing is artificial. From the moment I arrived, they've welcomed me with open arms and that makes everything easy. With Guardiola I'm speaking Italian, he speaks it perfectly. He already gave me the first instructions about where he wants me to play, they will have to tie me down if they don't want me to start training.

Did you know Guardiola?
I knew what he was doing with Barca, what he transmitted to the group to get the player to respect the ball like they are doing. Of course, I also knew Pep as a football player. If you don't know and admire Guardiola, then you don't know anything about football.

Pep always trains with the ball…
Yes, Ajax has a similar culture of loving the ball, but Mourinho also trained a lot with the ball, José also like the ball. Here I've seen the intensity of the training sessions, how good everyone is training from the first minute. I like hard work, they train like this and that's why they play that good. Besides the quality, you always need to work hard.

What's the difference between Barça and the others?
I've joined a winning team. Do you know what this means? You have to get better each day. When you play for a winning team like Barça, every game, every opponent will give 200 per cent just because they face Barça. They want to play the game of their lives against Barça, they are motivated as never before and this forces you to be especially concentrated and prepared. There is no room to relax, you are the winner and you have to show it in every game. That's exciting.

What do you think about Messi?
Incredible. Messi is from PlayStation really, he is PlayStation! I don't know how he is able to do what he does, but it's unique and fabulous. It's Leo Messi! But then you look at the left and you have Henry, you turn your head and there's Iniesta, then Xavi, and then you think: they are all great players here.

It will be difficult to repeat last season's treble...
Yeah, well, difficult, but the mentality is there, we have the will to repeat the treble.

Ibra receives a poster published by El Mundo Deportivo from the Champions League final celebrations in Rome. The poster is enormous and he is looking at all the faces. He recognizes everyone, and not only the players but also those who work around the team.

I saw the final that day, I was on vacations. While on vacations, I try not to think too much about football. But I would have given anything to be one of them! But never mind, I will be on next year's poster. I will be on the Bernabéu poster (laughs). You'll see.

You don't know what it would mean to win the Champions League at the Bernabéu...
Yes, yes I know... I know the rivalry between the big teams from the same country. That's why I'm saying that I will be on the champion's picture! This is our mentality, it's our strength. It would be really beautiful to win at the Bernabeu...

And with Inter as the opponent...
That would be very special but... Barça is the strongest! So that wouldn't change the picture: Barça, this time with me on the picture, celebrating the Champions League title.

How will Eto'o do at Inter?
Very well, I'm sure he'll do very well. He is a great player, everyone knows that.

One last question: Ibrahimovic is with Barça because he believed in it more than anyone?
Without any doubt. We - my agent and I - believed more in a transfer than Barça did. Barça thought it was close to impossible, we knew it could happen, we just needed to help a little and keep on believing. The first time my agent told me about the interest of Barça, he said that they wanted me but that it would be very complicated. I told him that wasn't the case, it wouldn't be difficult, we would make sure it wouldn't be complicated. And here I am, happy, very happy, with the deisre to get rid of this plaster, motivated to start playing, to enjoy myself with this team, to be on the picture, on that picture of the Champions League, to win it... At the Bernabéu.


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