MANCHESTER UNITED have finally welcomed Zlatan Ibrahimovic to the Premier League after his extended summer holiday came to a close.
The superstar’s no-nonsense fiancé and two little boys will be in tow and he is likely to be supported by his billionaire hunting buddy, his Sweden gang and his personal physio who all make up his personal dream team.
Helena Seger
When Ibrahimovic was preparing to take over the world at the age of 21 – with all the trappings of a celebrity footballer’s lifestyle at his fingertips – he settled down with a woman 11 years his senior.
The pair have been together since 2002 and have two young sons together; Maximilian born in 2006 and Vincent in 2008.
The Swedish beauty has a business background in finance, marketing and communications and had worked all over Scandinavia before settling down with the striker, who credits her and family life with helping him mature and lead a balanced life.
The 45-year-old is a very private person – far removed from the Premier League WAGs she might be mistakenly associated with – and only clashed with newspapers in France and Italy when they claimed she had been a model before meeting her famous partner.
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Dan Olofsson
The IT billionaire was born in Finland but grew up in Malmo and is now one of Sweden’s most influential people.
Olofsson live next door to Ibra in Malmo and they developed a close friendship. They often hunt together and, in 2012, Ibrahimovic bought 100 hectares of land in the Offerdal mountains, an area with close ties to the Olofsson family.
Ibrahimovic is fiercely proud of his roots, coming from a rough part of Sweden and climbing to the top of his game despite limited opportunities. And Olofsson is also doing plenty to give back to the more deprived parts of Sweden which resonates with his pal.
The philanthropist has a charity called Upstart Malmo aimed at creating more job opportunities in the under-privileged areas of his hometown. The concept behind the trust is to offer advice, support and financial help to local entrepreneurs who want to develop their business ideas and create more jobs. Altogether 1,600 people have found work through this initiative.
Mika Lepisto
The boss of Perfect Brands can take a chunk of the credit for making the Manchester United striker one of the most recognisable faces in sport and a must-follow across his expertly-managed social media accounts including Instagram and Facebook.
Lepisto played a major part in the success of I Am Zlatan, the 2011 autobiography that claimed numerous awards and helped the footballer and martial arts expert launch his sportswear brand A-Z this summer.
The firm has helped Ibrahimovic form fruitful partnerships with a number of brands including Vitamin Well and Volvo as well as release his own fragrance.
The Stockholm company also look after Zlatan’s fiancé and are seriously strict on her privacy and past, saying: “Helena Seger is not active in social media and has no Twitter, Instagram or Facebook feed.
Any social media accounts or blogs in Helena’s name are fake.
She has never worked as a model as the popular notion is, but as a marketing director.”
In an interview with Swedish paper Resume, speaking about his role with Zlatan, the Stockholm based marketing guru said: “It feels incredibly inspiring to work with Sweden’s largest brand”.
Zlatan Gang
The clique inside the Sweden national team was both a blessing a curse with the tight bond between Olof Mellberg, Christian ‘Chippendale’ Wilhelmsson and past Alexander Ostlund being blamed for an alleged divide in the team around 2006.
When former Aston Villa man, Mellberg, retired from international football in 2014, Ibrahimovic said:
“Olof was the person that triggered and challenged me. This drove me to want to do more on the pitch. "Olof had a winner mentality like no other. He simply refused to lose, not only in football but in practically everything.
“And when he did lose, which rarely happened, he refused to admit it. I think this mentality was what took him a long way in his career.
“Olof in my opinion is the best Swedish defender of all time, I think the person Olof is even better.”
In 2006 coach Lars Lagerback has sent home Ibrahimovic, Mellberg and Wilhelmsson for staying out too late ahead of a Euro 2008 qualifier with Liechtenstein.
Mellberg and Wilhelmsson did not appeal the coach's decision, but Ibrahimovic felt that it was unjust and therefore refused to take part in Sweden's next qualifiers against Iceland and Spain. He also refused to partake in a friendly against Egypt on 7 February 2007, but ended his self-imposed boycott a month later.
Ostlund was dropped from that squad in an attempt to break up the group but he was credited in I Am Zlatan as the man who got The Legend into body art.
He wrote: “Tattoos became like a drug for me. I would get new ones all the time, but it was never just spontaneous tattoos, they were all well thought through. But I was against tattoos in the beginning and thought it was distasteful, but I was tempted. Alexander Ostlund got me interested.”
The pair also share a bond over hunting in the Swedish wilderness and have been pictured together stalking animals.
Rickard Dahan
The sports scientist worked with Ibra at Malmo and Sweden but is also his personal physio after striking up a friendship beyond personal duty. Even when the striker was moving around Europe with Barcelona, Milan or PSG he would return to his confidant for check-ups and advice. The medical man said: “You create a personal relationship beyond a professional relationship. It is not unique with Zlatan. He is a regular guy and a good friend. When you work in a team you develop very close relationships.”
Ola Gallstad
When Ibrahimovic arrived at Malmo aged around 12 it was Gallstad who was charged with moulding the young talent. In a space of just six months his progress was rapid and he was ready for the first team at 17 after working with Gallstad during his most formative years. There was even a spell during his teenage years when the young superstar was ready to quit football and walk away from the game. But his grit and drive were harnessed well by his coaching team – including Johnny Gyllensjo who is credited with filling Malmo’s best teams with young talent.
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