Ibrahimovic: ‘Playing football easier than what I am doing’

Zlatan Ibrahimovic admits it was ‘easier’ to play football than do what he’s doing today but he’s humble and ready to learn new things.

Red Bird advisor Zlatan Ibrahimovic joined Christian Pulisic for an interview with CBS Mornings in the USA.

The whole Milan squad has already landed in the USA, where they will meet Manchester City, Real Madrid and Barcelona in pre-season friendlies.

Ibra retired in 2023 and was appointed as Red Bird’s advisor this past December so he was asked about the main differences between the two careers.

“I can say it was easier to play football than do what I do today. I am learning. I am humble. It’s a different angle from what I was used to, but I have good people around me,” said the former Sweden international.

Ibrahimovic: ‘Playing football easier than what I am doing’

What makes it harder?

“As long as they win, it’s ok; the problem is when they start to lose,” he replied smiling.

“It’s ok. The problem is that I cannot influence the game like I used to. You have to transform your mentality, mood and experience to other players.”

A lot of attention was put on Ibrahimovic’s renowned mental strength, which is helping him also after the end of his playing career.

“Many ask me if I am acting, but no. What you see is what you get. Where I come from, it is important to be confident,” he said.

“You had to stand up for yourself; you wanted to prove yourself the best, and I always liked to play football in schools and on the streets. I had this confidence like, ‘I am the best, who is the rest?’ It was important because when you come to this world, and I used to play where Christian is playing now, 50% is mental. If you are not strong, you don’t survive.”

Ibra is, therefore, trying to pass his experience and personality onto young Milan players.

“I think it begins at an early age, then it depends on how far you want to bring it. I believe in discipline and hard work,” he said.

“At an early age, you prepare the mental part for when they’ll get to the big stage. Either you are eaten, or you eat. There are different kinds of characters and different personalities. At an early age, I was very aggressive on the pitch, but I didn’t have the balance on how to treat people around me. With more experience, I started to hug and protect somebody. It was a different approach, but with young players, you need to push them.”

Ibra won five Serie A titles in his career, scoring 156 goals in 283 games in Italy’s top flight.