So good.

The defender did just about everything to limit Zlatan’s ability to get on the end of this ball.  Just about…

Being 6′ 5″ and having some of the sickest skill ever can lead to goals like this.

This still might be his best ever,

though this flick against Italy in the 2004 Euro’s was nuts.

Brought to you by the same people behind “Take It To The Next Level”.

72 And Sunny

Sweden kicks off their 2008 Euro campaign on Tuesday against Greece and don’t think for a second that all eyes won’t be on the forward combination of Henrik Larsson and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Here’s something to think about when watching that game.

Zlatan hasn’t scored for Sweden since October of 2005. Ouch.

And you wonder why critics say he doesn’t show up in big matches….

While he might not be the type of teammate you’d choose first, there’s never been a doubt that Zlatan Ibrahimovic can ball.

When I lived in Sweden, every hope for Swedish Fotbol was pinned squarely on the back of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. From his Allsvenskan days with Malmo FC when he was just a teenager and had a television crew following him around for an entire season, to his huge transfer fee to Ajax, to his transfer to Juventus, their relegation at the hands of scandal and his latest eventual move to Inter Milan to stay in Serie A, the country couldn’t get enough.

As much as they love him on the field for being by far the best player in the history of the game, the Swedes also know what a prick he can be. Countless times he’s thrown teammates under the bus for their play and decision making, rather than keeping it in house and while he might have the adoration of the fans, not so much from his peers.

After Marco Matterazi was sent off in the first half of Inter’s 2-0 Champions League defeat at Anfield, Ibrahimovic had a major go at his teammate when asked what he thought by an Italian reporter, “Why don’t you go ask Materazzi what happened”. Today he tried clearing things up a little.

My theory was you don’t have to like your teammates, you just have to battle with them and you can bet those two don’t like each other.

image via PubTV2

image via SkyRock

When purchasing Zlatan Ibrahimovic from Ajax, Fabio Capello knew the talent the young Swede had, but also  his temperament.  Since then, Zlatan has gone on to star at Inter as Capello, who won last year at Real Madrid is now the manager of England after Juventus’ drop to Serie B in 2006 .  In today’s SkySports, Ibrahimovic gives his opinion on the Don and how they used to call him The Psychologist for his ability to handle players egos.

image via Diarios de Futbol 

Though Sweden could have used his help yesterday, the best player to ever wear the uniform netted two late goals today for Inter, beating Parma 3-2 in Milan.  Scoring a penalty in the 88th and splitting two defenders and slotting easily in extra time, Ibrahimovic kept the pace for their 7 point lead over Roma.

If you saw Zlatan drop two this morning on Siena to stretch their lead to 7 points, then you’ll understand why we’re disappointed.  We got to see Timmy make some saves in Goteborg, but the Inter forward will not be making the trip in less than a week to the Home Depot Center for US vs Sverige.