In one of the few private conversations I had with Zlatan Ibrahimovic during his two seasons with the Galaxy, he told me that his sports idol was Muhammad Ali. He admired the boxer’s talent, of course, but he was more drawn to his outspokenness, his boastfulness, and his ability to back even his most outlandish claims.
In many ways, Ibrahimovic modeled his own over-the-top behavior on Ali – until he threw a verbal punch at LeBron James who rightly sent him to a neutral corner.
In a recent interview with Discovery + in Sweden, Ibrahimovic said that James, a frequent, passionate and intelligent voice on important topics such as racial injustice and the right to vote, should ‘stick to the sport’ and stay out of politics.
“He’s phenomenal at what he does, but I don’t like when people… go into politics at the same time,” he said. “Do what you’re good at. Make the category you do. I play soccer because I am the best in soccer. I don’t play politics.
Oops. Wait for Zlatan to find out what Ali did.
Rather than parting ways with the rest of the world, Ali created the place where sport and politics intersect. When he returned home to the Jim Crow South after the 1960 Olympics, only to be denied a meal at a public restaurant, he said he threw his gold medal in the Ohio River. At the height of his career, he refused to join the military and fight in Vietnam, sitting 3 and a half years and losing his heavyweight title and millions of dollars in potential earnings while waiting for the world to catch up. .
Ali did what leaders do: he led, in word and in deed. This is also what LeBron James does.
The Lakers star built a school for underserved children in his hometown of Akron, Ohio. He formed a nonprofit organization to fight voter suppression and helped get NBA owners to turn their arenas into voting centers.
In a summer of racial tension and protest, he was a strong and passionate voice for reason and action. You could argue that James is better at politics than basketball, so by Ibrahimovic’s standards, maybe he should hang up that Lakers jersey.
It’s not that Ibrahimovic doesn’t have opinions. He does – and he’s too eager to share them. During his short stint in MLS, for example, he spoke out on refereeing (not good), level of play (not good), strenuous travel (not good either) and playoff format (you can guess what he was thinking. this).
He’s in favor of puppies and young children, and he has done an impressive job in Italy, where he now plays for AC Milan, to raise funds and raise awareness about the fight against COVID-19.
It is not therefore that he refuses to express himself. It’s just that, unlike his very public bravado, he doesn’t seem willing to speak out on controversial topics that matter.
You know, like LeBron does. And like Ali did.
I wish he had.
Ibrahimovic was born in Malmö, Sweden, the son of Bosnian and Croatian parents. In his insightful autobiography, “I Am Zlatan: My Story On and Off the Field,” he speaks at length about the poverty he endured as a child and how, as an immigrant, he was laughed at for his looks and his speech.
These affronts still burn deep within him. A statue of Ibrahimovic, erected outside the stadium where he began his professional career, has been desecrated on several occasions, with some claiming racism to be a motive. And Ibrahimovic has repeatedly accused Swedish media of “undercover racism” for failing to give him the credit he deserved as the country’s all-time top scorer.
“My name is neither Svensson nor Andersson, ”he once said. “If I were blonde, they would still defend me if I robbed a bank.“
I tried several times to get Ibrahimovic to engage on this topic while he was with the Galaxy. His stint in the MLS reflects a rise in anti-immigrant hysteria around the world and cruel attacks on immigrants in the United States. .
The media clung to his every word. He could inspire them; its platform could bring change.
On two occasions he came close to committing to his experience as the son of poor immigrants before stopping and quickly moving on to a more comfortable subject. Obviously, he had sponsorships to protect.
“This is who we are and that’s how it is,” he said.
Ibrahimovic is nonetheless a football player because he refuses to speak. He gets paid well to play a game and like he said in the Discovery + interview, he’s really good at it. We do not have the right to demand anything else.
Did Tiger Woods speak out on social issues? Lionel Messi? Mike Trout? Are they less good for their silence?
Their talents have provided them with a platform to go beyond gaming, to advocate, to influence change. You know, like Muhammad Ali and LeBron James did.
If Ibrahimovic, like the others, chooses not to use this platform, fine. But if the best he can do is criticize those who have the courage to do it, maybe he should shut up and dribble.