Why didn't it work out for Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Barcelona? He is apparently a player that could shine at any club in the world, so how come the best club in the world didn't accommodate him? The simple truth is an answer best announced by a Spanish commentator: Messii!! Gol! Gol! Gol! Gol! Gol! Gol!
Look up any superlative in the dictionary, type it into a thesaurus, and I guarantee that every word that is synonymous will have been used to describe Lionel Messi. Not just that, the word will have been overused on him, to the point where any appraisal becomes clichéd when talking about the Argentinian. My personal favourite is 'insane', because to me, a man who's technical ability ranges from Lee Bowyer to Peter Enckelman, that kind of intelligence, technicality, and sheer impossibility must class as a mental disorder. It is near superhuman, and I bet that superguy and spiderboy would bow down to his abilities.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was overwhelmingly aware of one thing during his time at Barcelona; He was not the best player on the pitch. Bear in mind where Zlatan has come from. He played for Malmo in Sweden, Ajax, Juventus (just before the Calciopoli scandal) and Inter Milan, all of whom are giants in their home countries, but all teams where a player with Ibrahimovic's flamboyancy and craft would be a stand-alone talent. Not to mention that he plays for a country where few player's of Ibra's quality originate from, and who certainly won't have any sort of tournament success for the next ten years. Suddenly, having chosen samfaina over spaghetti for a deal which completely benefited Inter, he was on a team-sheet with the best players around. An ego like Zlat's couldn't take that. His arrogance and complacency was his undoing at Barcelona, and a fault which has seen him go from samfaina back to spaghetti in Milan, and then to coq au vin with PSG, and mainly as a marketing strategy by both.
It was a mistake that hurt Barcelona more than anyone. Forty million euros plus an arguably better striker in Samuel Eto'o was a huge price to pay, even for a player who would turn out to be a success. But for a flop, Zlatan was big'un, and a gentle reminder that Barcelona should stick to producing their own talent than paying over-the-odds for an 'outsider'. La Masia is your treasure chest Barcelona. Spend wisely.
From way up here in Row Z, thanks for reading.
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