The Magic Man

The retirement of AC Milan’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic at the age of forty one pays testament to the supreme fitness levels and the drive to compete at a high level. Further time was pushed to one side on the Swedish icon’s longevity, one of the greatest players of his generation. Zlatan the ‘maverick’, the individualist, the non-conformist, a free spirit to trend set, an arrogance which communicated “I am the best, the most talented, I know it and I will let you know it”. Zlatan had the power to polarise, he never took himself too seriously, he knew the power of his inner steel and that he could deliver. An engaging character if you drop zoned beneath the veneer with many a one liner. Zlatan knew the football gods had gifted him alongside the intelligence to harness the gifts, that was the comfort factor, the protector.

A career spanning twenty four years, with the pinnacle being capped by his country Sweden on one hundred and twenty two occasions becoming Sweden’s all time leading goal scorer on sixty two goals, to go alongside the 511 goals tallied in seven countries. At the height of the Zlatan power play was a world ranking of number three, behind Messi and Ronaldo. Zlatan was renowned for his acrobatic strikes, volleys and powerful long range shots with breathtaking technique, a sensational player who would defy all logic with outlandish goals, to create the unthinkable, did that actually happen? Is the magic man playing tricks with my eyes? Ibrahimovich a big unit at six foot five, towing in 85kg, with the movements of a trapeze artist. No harness for Zlatan he could float mid-air with gymnastic elasticity, to be everything, the clown to annoy, the custard pie thrower to laugh, the ball juggler, the aerialist, the acrobatic, the magnificence of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the ‘magic man’.

Zlatan’s Magical Quotes

“I cannot help but laugh at how perfect I am”

“Swedish style, of course not, it has to be Zlatan style”

“I came, I conquered, I gave you Zlatan”

Tottenham Hotspurs New Manager, The Prelude, The Addons

The arrival of the relatively unknown Australian manager Ange Postecoglou at Celtic in 2021, was met with derision in many quarters. A five trophy haul was delivered during Angie’s two year Celtic stint with a domestic treble being achieved in the season ending 2022-23, raising the bar to a seventy seven percent win ratio at the hoops. Ange’s managerial career stat averages out at the ratio of near on fifty four percent to rubber stamp one’s credentials spanning over eight clubs. Postecoglou has also managed the Australian national team in the 2013-17 seasons. The appointment of Postecoglou as the Tottenham Hotspurs manager on June 6^th has again raised some eyebrows with the Spurs straying away from the conventional appointment, plain vanilla to many. Postecoglou will become the first Australian to manage in the Premiership, the “Aussie has landed”. Postecoglou of Greek origin to an adopted Aussie, kebabs will suffice no Pommie bashing. Postecoglou has inherited the Aussie trait of playing on the front font instilled into the coaching methods with attacking wingers, a return to the 1970’s then on the winger syndrome, bang that drum. Four Australian titles were non under age’s management, does that count? It gave credibility on the motivational speeches given to his teams, to think about the people that made the sacrifice’s, parents, brother, uncle, coach, where it all started on the football journey, looking at what made you, the people that made you, when you win they will think they have won, they have, you have repaid the faith, the trust, the belief. A leader will inspire, to pardon the pun, to spur on, to instil confidence to the induvial to frame into a team, pride of performance to deliver. So can Postecoglou galvanise Tottenham beyond their comfort zone, time to remove the club’s ‘snowflakes’ tag and deliver trophies. Is Postecoglou the man on the upgrade, time is the marker for the “Aussie has landed”.