Ibrahimovic: "We'll do it like our lives are on the line"

Barcelona player Zlatan Ibrahimovic gave an interview to Catalan sports paper Sport.


Does the comparison between you and Eto'o bother you? Samuel's shadow at the Camp Nou can grow big.
I know how he moves, and I understand that the first days or weeks everybody wants to compare us. That's what the media is like, but I don't care about it. We are different and play in two different clubs. I hope he is happy and that he can achieve success at Inter since it's such a big club, and I wish him well. It's not fair to say that one is better than the other since we're both different.

Another name, Leo Messi. Do you think about what you can create together?
Leo is fantastic, he's one of the 'big' players. Everyone who gets the chance to play next to him will be better. I'm pretty sure it will be easy for us to understand each other. And to those who dream about sweet things, I hope I won't let them down.

Allow me to be critical. They say that one of your weaknesses is that you don't like to put pressure on the defenders. This was fundamental for Barcelona last season.
(Silence followed by a cold laughter) Each team has their own style and I am here to obey. If we are going to put pressure on a team, then we will do it like our lives are on the line.

You're know for being a person with a strong character. One of those who hates to lose.
And that's bad?

I understand that as a virtue. But there are some stories.
There are always these stories. People talk without knowing the person. I'm actually a normal person. I grew up in a family without big possibilities and in a difficult place. But I had belief. What people say is nonsense which comes from different media that I don't have any connection with.

For example Sweden?
There is a very significant newspaper from my country that I don't have any connection with. Once they printed something false, that hurt me very much, because they didn't respect me as a person.

Let's talk about football again. Does it scares you that you have arrived to a team that have won almost everything?
It's quite opposite. I look at it like a challenge. I came to Barca to win titles, and grow as a player.

But people will expect the team at a brutal level this year?
That's why we will work hard. Nobody wants to present us with anything. To repeat the historic season we need hard work, talent and attitude.

What would you like to tell me about Real Madrid?
Nothing. I have nothing to say about teams other than Barca. Let them do like they want, and buy whatever that interest them. My thoughts are with Barcelona. They are the ones who have to think about why Barca are the champions. The pressure's on those who did not win anything.

This was the second and final part of this interview.

translated by Sandvik

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