Jaw-dropping goals, trophies and misbehaviour made him a superstar, competitiveness and drive made him a role modelIt is September 2003 and Sweden have just been awarded a second penalty against San Marino in a European Championship qualifier. The team’s designated penalty taker, Kim Källström, has dispatched the first and expects to take this one too.However a 21‑year‑old Zlatan Ibrahimovic has other ideas. He is the player who has been fouled and grabs the ball to take the spot-kick. He scores to make it 5-0 but no one is in a mood to celebrate with him. He has disobeyed orders and, even worse, has put himself above the team. Continue reading...
A handful of the best emerging talents to seek out as they look to make waves around Europe this summerThe latest talent to emerge from the famed “Bromma Boys” production line in Stockholm after Bojan Djordic and John Guidetti. Kulusevski has made steady progress in his first full season at Juventus and was the hero of their Coppa Italia victory over his former club Atalanta. Having moved to Italy three months after his 16th birthday, the forward spent two spells at Parma and joined Juve for more than £30m last year. Kulusevki, whose father is from North Macedonia, was born in Sweden but represented Macedonia at under 16 and 17 level before making the switch and is often compared to...
Montenegro and Serbia’s historic meeting, unhappy memories for England and the Republic of Ireland, and Georgi Petkov’s international return – at 42Twelve years after Montenegro achieved independence and 11 years after they were formally recognised by Fifa, they meet Serbia for the first time. The match is, according to goalkeeper Danijel Petkovic, the biggest in the nation’s history. After two games the teams are level on points at the top of Group C4, adding competitive edge to an already spicy encounter. Serbia are far from full strength: Crystal Palace’s Luka Milivojevic is one of several players to have dropped out of the squad since the World Cup after falling out with the manager, Mladen Krstajic, while the captain, Nemanja Matic,...
Scepticism and confusion over the Nations League have been overtaken by teams at all levels taking it seriouslyA pile-on by the corner flag in Stockholm said it best. Turkey had just come from two goals down to defeat a seemingly comfortable Sweden and, in those chaotic moments after Emre Akbaba’s header drifted past a slow-footed Robin Olsen, a full 20 seconds passed before their outfield players disentangled themselves from the jubilant scrum beyond the quadrant.It was some way for Turkey, so reliably inconsistent, to ignite their Uefa Nations League campaign and it was just as significant for the nascent tournament itself. Akbaba had entered as a substitute in the 62nd minute: in a friendly he would have been one of...
We rank the eight quarter-finalists in Russia with Roberto Martínez’s team at No 1 after their magnificent defeat of Brazil Would anyone have stood a chance against Belgium’s first-half evisceration of Brazil? Their front three were irresistible and in the process answered the lingering questions about Roberto Martínez’s ability to mastermind success on this stage. Martínez got his set-up spot on and, if he is similarly tuned into France’s weaknesses, his team has an outstanding chance of making the final – although Didier Deschamps will spy some susceptibility at the back, particularly when faced with pace. There will never be a better opportunity for this set of players, many of them at or approaching their peak, to confirm the promise...