Man to fear: Don't mistake Zlatan's MLS move for a retirement tour
The name alone inspires imagery of pride and ego. He is a larger-than-life character of humble origins, yet one who has never failed to prove his doubters wrong. He will now have a chance to again display his scoring touch after joining the LA Galaxy out of Manchester United.
At 36 years of age, Ibrahimovic comes to MLS five years later than most would have liked, still nursing what was a terribly busted knee. He joins a team in the midst of a rebirth, far removed from the days when Landon Donovan, Robbie Keane, and David Beckham ruled the roost at the StubHub Center.
He enters a changed landscape in MLS, one that has fetishized signing young, talented Latin footballers of late, while stigmatizing the idea of bringing on aged talents to avoid the "retirement league" reputation it once had.
But dismissing Ibrahimovic as a has-been is dangerous folly. It's an argument that could have easily been made by supporters at Old Trafford when Ibrahimovic, already well past that prime "28-31" age range, left Paris Saint-Germain to join United. As those fans soon found out, Ibrahimovic wasn't even close to being past his best, scoring 28 times across all competitions and helping his team to a Europa League triumph in his first year in England.
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
A healthy Ibrahimovic will almost certainly be a scoring force in MLS, just as he was in the Premier League and in Ligue 1 throughout his 30s. If there is an element of fear that Ibrahimovic will go the way of Didier Drogba, Steven Gerrard, Kaka, and Andrea Pirlo before him - fading to a shell of their former physical selves - it is a premature one. The risk is certainly there, as a setback in his recovery prolonged his full-time return at Old Trafford, though, unlike the aforementioned four, Ibrahimovic is more of a physical specimen.
Is he a footballer "so strong" that doctors wished to observe him further as he recovered from his knee injury? Nope. That was a bogus claim made by his agent Mino Raiola, which those same doctors later rubbished.
But there is still a kernel of truth in it. Though he has been limited to just seven appearances this season, he hardly seems incapable of stringing together another season or two of consistent football.
That's the reason the Galaxy chose to pursue Ibrahimovic's signature, despite using the offseason to acquire a center-forward in Ola Kamara. There are other layers to the move that the Galaxy will consider, chief among them combating the allure of expansion side Los Angeles FC, as well as increases in ticket and jersey sales. That Ibrahimovic is a globally-recognized star - the sort the club has recently lacked - will certainly help in restoring the image of a mighty LA Galaxy franchise, but it is a secondary benefit to the fact that he is an elite-level footballer who can individually change matches.
That has been the biggest missing component for the Galaxy in the last two seasons: Keane's game-changing ability was not replaced, and the options brought in to try and replicate it - Giovani Dos Santos, for example - have not panned out.
Head coach Sigi Schmid will have to consider variables to his formation with Ibrahimovic - he could use Dos Santos as a left-winger, or try a two-man combination with Ibrahimovic and Kamara working in tandem up top. Whatever he comes up with, you can bet the intention will be to get the most out of his new goal-scorer, who in turn will demand the most out of his own teammates, as he has throughout his career, to the point of in-fighting.
There's no way to predict the future, but if the past is any indication of the kind of play and attitude fans will see from Ibrahimovic over the next two years, you can expect a healthy Ibrahimovic to be a dominant force in MLS, just as he was in every league he has graced with his presence.