zlatan ibrahimovic
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has brought Inter plenty of success on the domestic level, and since he joined the club they have won three consecutive Scudetti and two Italian Super Cups.
Arguably one of the best strikers on the planet, possessing strength, vision, excellent footwork, and great technical ability, the player has recently been subject to a mega-money bid from Barcelona - €45 million plus Samuel Eto'o and the loan of Aliaksandr Hleb.
With this transfer looking almost certain to go through, Goal.com looks back on Ibrahimovic's Top 10 moments in an Inter shirt.
10) Serie A Debut For Inter – 9 September 2006
Zlatan’s Serie A debut for Inter really couldn’t have gone any better. The superstar set up Esteban Cambiasso with a sublime turn and lay-off to open the scoring, before hitting a well-taken half-volley to bag the Nerazzurri’s third goal himself. Fiorentina found the net twice, but it was too little, too late, and it was the start of a beautiful friendship between the club and the player, acting as a sign of things to come.
9) 100th Serie A Match - 16 September 2007
Just a week later, the century mark was reached. After two previous season with Juventus, Ibrahimovic played in his 100th Serie A match at the outset of his campaign with the Milanese giants. It was a successful day for the Swede, as on the counter-attack he played a text-book through ball to left-winger Cesar, whose accurate shot ensured Inter won 2-0 against the Sicilians.
8) Breaks European Goal Drought – 2 October 2007
Zlatan has constantly been criticised for his lack of impact on the continental stage, but put in a match-winning performance against Dutch outfit PSV at the San Siro in a group stage match. First converting a penalty, he later showed great coordination by scoring a looping header into the guarded net from a Luis Figo cross for his second of the evening. That season he had five goals in seven Champions League matches, but Inter once again fell short in the knock-out stage against Liverpool.
7) Trouncing Of Roma – 19 October 2008
If Roma were considered challengers for the title the past two seasons, the ex-Ajax hero heaped plenty of misery on them to ensure they would be no trouble in 2008-09. After a poor start to the campaign, the Giallorossi were desperate for points, but the 27-year-old first beat the offside trap and chipped the onrushing goalkeeper Doni from outside the box, before bamboozling Juan and shooting low too add a second in a resounding 4-0 victory. The Romans were embarrassed on their home ground of the Stadio Olimpico.
6) Late Double Against Parma – 20 January 2008
Inter were runaway leaders in the Scudetto race at this point, but signs of struggle were beginning to tell, allowing Roma to begin to cut the gap. However, this match in particular kept their head above water. With the Gialloblu leading 2-1, Zlatan earned and converted a controversial penalty in the 88th minute, before poking home the winner in injury-time for a spectacular finish. In celebration, the lanky striker jumped on and toppled over then coach Roberto Mancini!
5) Silences San Siro Boo Boys – 2 May 2009
With the scores level at 0-0 against Lazio, the San Siro crowd were getting restless and began to whistle the thus far ineffective Ibrahimovic, but this only spurred him into life! Soon after the chorus of criticism, the ex-Juventus man took the ball, dribbled past one defender, and fired a rasping shot into the far side of the net – turning to the crowd and lifting his finger up to his mouth, gesturing for them to be quiet. Before the end of the contest, he set up Sulley Muntari to secure all three points in a 2-0 win.
4) Capocannoniere - 31 May 2009
The Swedish international gained his first Capocannoniere (Serie A top scorer) title at the tail end of the 2008-09 season by scoring twice in a 4-3 victory over Atalanta. His first goal saw him break the offside trap and calmly slot past shot stopper Andrea Consigli, before a second-goal that highlighted all of the man’s talents. He held off a defender while collecting a pass from Hernan Crespo and then hit a cheeky backheel into the bottom corner. Thus, he finished with 25 goals for the season, one ahead of Genoa hotshot Diego Milito (now his team-mate) and Bologna veteran Marco Di Vaio.
3) Inter’s First On The Pitch Scudetto Since 1989 – 22 April 2007
The Nerazzurri had been awarded the previous Serie A title as a result of the Calciopoli scandal, but won their first ‘Scudetto in campo’ or ‘championship on the pitch’ since 1989 when they beat Siena 2-1. Marco Materazzi scored the brace on this day, but Ibrahimovic made large contributions, 15 goals in 27 appearances, during the season as Inter tied a record by securing the Scudetto with five matches remaining.
2) Backheel Goal Against Bologna – 4 October 2008
A contender for goal of the season! Adriano crossed in the ball from the left at waist height and the Malmo-born player turned his back to goal and back-heeled the ball out of the air into the net leaving Bologna’s goalkeeper completely stunned and stranded en route to a 2-1 victory. He really lived up to his ‘Ibracadabra’ nickname with a piece of wonderful ingenuity that had the whole crowd on their feet.
1) Return To Clinch The Scudetto – 18 May 2008
Perhaps the greatest moment of the talented forward came when he returned from injury to ensure that the Benemata won the Scudetto on the final matchday of the 2007-08 season. Coming on as a second-half substitute after a two month lay-off, the Swede skipped past the defence and hammered in a low long range shot to break the deadlock, before adding another to ensure Inter took home the grand prize and were unreachable by rivals Roma – who started the day just one point behind.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has brought Inter plenty of success on the domestic level, and since he joined the club they have won three consecutive Scudetti and two Italian Super Cups.
Arguably one of the best strikers on the planet, possessing strength, vision, excellent footwork, and great technical ability, the player has recently been subject to a mega-money bid from Barcelona - €45 million plus Samuel Eto'o and the loan of Aliaksandr Hleb.
With this transfer looking almost certain to go through, Goal.com looks back on Ibrahimovic's Top 10 moments in an Inter shirt.
10) Serie A Debut For Inter – 9 September 2006
Zlatan’s Serie A debut for Inter really couldn’t have gone any better. The superstar set up Esteban Cambiasso with a sublime turn and lay-off to open the scoring, before hitting a well-taken half-volley to bag the Nerazzurri’s third goal himself. Fiorentina found the net twice, but it was too little, too late, and it was the start of a beautiful friendship between the club and the player, acting as a sign of things to come.
9) 100th Serie A Match - 16 September 2007
Just a week later, the century mark was reached. After two previous season with Juventus, Ibrahimovic played in his 100th Serie A match at the outset of his campaign with the Milanese giants. It was a successful day for the Swede, as on the counter-attack he played a text-book through ball to left-winger Cesar, whose accurate shot ensured Inter won 2-0 against the Sicilians.
8) Breaks European Goal Drought – 2 October 2007
Zlatan has constantly been criticised for his lack of impact on the continental stage, but put in a match-winning performance against Dutch outfit PSV at the San Siro in a group stage match. First converting a penalty, he later showed great coordination by scoring a looping header into the guarded net from a Luis Figo cross for his second of the evening. That season he had five goals in seven Champions League matches, but Inter once again fell short in the knock-out stage against Liverpool.
7) Trouncing Of Roma – 19 October 2008
If Roma were considered challengers for the title the past two seasons, the ex-Ajax hero heaped plenty of misery on them to ensure they would be no trouble in 2008-09. After a poor start to the campaign, the Giallorossi were desperate for points, but the 27-year-old first beat the offside trap and chipped the onrushing goalkeeper Doni from outside the box, before bamboozling Juan and shooting low too add a second in a resounding 4-0 victory. The Romans were embarrassed on their home ground of the Stadio Olimpico.
6) Late Double Against Parma – 20 January 2008
Inter were runaway leaders in the Scudetto race at this point, but signs of struggle were beginning to tell, allowing Roma to begin to cut the gap. However, this match in particular kept their head above water. With the Gialloblu leading 2-1, Zlatan earned and converted a controversial penalty in the 88th minute, before poking home the winner in injury-time for a spectacular finish. In celebration, the lanky striker jumped on and toppled over then coach Roberto Mancini!
5) Silences San Siro Boo Boys – 2 May 2009
With the scores level at 0-0 against Lazio, the San Siro crowd were getting restless and began to whistle the thus far ineffective Ibrahimovic, but this only spurred him into life! Soon after the chorus of criticism, the ex-Juventus man took the ball, dribbled past one defender, and fired a rasping shot into the far side of the net – turning to the crowd and lifting his finger up to his mouth, gesturing for them to be quiet. Before the end of the contest, he set up Sulley Muntari to secure all three points in a 2-0 win.
4) Capocannoniere - 31 May 2009
The Swedish international gained his first Capocannoniere (Serie A top scorer) title at the tail end of the 2008-09 season by scoring twice in a 4-3 victory over Atalanta. His first goal saw him break the offside trap and calmly slot past shot stopper Andrea Consigli, before a second-goal that highlighted all of the man’s talents. He held off a defender while collecting a pass from Hernan Crespo and then hit a cheeky backheel into the bottom corner. Thus, he finished with 25 goals for the season, one ahead of Genoa hotshot Diego Milito (now his team-mate) and Bologna veteran Marco Di Vaio.
3) Inter’s First On The Pitch Scudetto Since 1989 – 22 April 2007
The Nerazzurri had been awarded the previous Serie A title as a result of the Calciopoli scandal, but won their first ‘Scudetto in campo’ or ‘championship on the pitch’ since 1989 when they beat Siena 2-1. Marco Materazzi scored the brace on this day, but Ibrahimovic made large contributions, 15 goals in 27 appearances, during the season as Inter tied a record by securing the Scudetto with five matches remaining.
2) Backheel Goal Against Bologna – 4 October 2008
A contender for goal of the season! Adriano crossed in the ball from the left at waist height and the Malmo-born player turned his back to goal and back-heeled the ball out of the air into the net leaving Bologna’s goalkeeper completely stunned and stranded en route to a 2-1 victory. He really lived up to his ‘Ibracadabra’ nickname with a piece of wonderful ingenuity that had the whole crowd on their feet.
1) Return To Clinch The Scudetto – 18 May 2008
Perhaps the greatest moment of the talented forward came when he returned from injury to ensure that the Benemata won the Scudetto on the final matchday of the 2007-08 season. Coming on as a second-half substitute after a two month lay-off, the Swede skipped past the defence and hammered in a low long range shot to break the deadlock, before adding another to ensure Inter took home the grand prize and were unreachable by rivals Roma – who started the day just one point behind.
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