I got a kick out of this goal
AS a footballer who specialises in Hollywood goals, the penthouse suite of a Sunset Boulevard hotel suits Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
He smiles when asked to pick out one or two of his better efforts over the years.
There were a couple of show-stoppers for LA Galaxy in his debut season and the odd one for Manchester United that would make his highlights reel.
But he cannot help but keep going back to THAT goal against England.
You know the one. The last of his four in Sweden’s 4-2 win in 2012 – the extraordinary scissor-kick volley from 30 yards out.
“That goal against England is nice because the English thought they knew who I was but apparently they didn’t,” he says.
“So I let them know who I was by that, and it was extra special because it was against the England team.
“There had been many years of English journalists and English people talking about whether he is good or not so good.
‘‘They were talking about me as some sort of prima donna saying, ‘he thinks he is something and look at his long hair’ and stuff like that.
“It’s funny that stuff, because it triggers me. I take it as a challenge, it gives me motivation. It keeps me going, makes me want to work even harder.
“And before an England game, they would make whatever negativity that was out there about me even bigger.”
Maybe the scepticism towards him – which, he believes, should have vanished after his short but eventful spell at United – has coloured his views on the English national game but he thinks there is still a lot of progress to be made.
He says: “I would like to see more English players play abroad. It is always