If Zlatan Ibrahimović’s career could be compared to any American athlete, it might be Charles Barkley. Ibrahimović’s combination of legendary moments on the pitch, combined with his memorable quotes off it are akin to Barkley, who is arguably the greatest sports studio analyst of all time and one of the best players in NBA history.
Now, Ibrahimović will give it a try as a full-time TV studio analyst on Fox Sports’ upcoming coverage of the FIFA World Cup.
“He was at the top of the list of people we wanted to take swings at for this World Cup,” Fox Sports president Brad Zager told The Athletic. “We put a blank slate on the board, thinking some were longshots and guys who have worked with us in the past and a lot of stuff in between. And Zlatan was one that there was no reason to not take a swing and see if he would be willing to do this.”
Ibrahimović, 44, will make his studio debut when the World Cup begins across the United States, Mexico and Canada on June 11. He will be on consistently throughout the tournament.
Fox’s Big Three hires for this World Cup are Ibrahimović, Thierry Henry and, on loan from NBC, host Rebecca Lowe. Other names it pursued included David Beckham and Jürgen Klopp, according to sources briefed on the conversations. At times, Klopp appeared as if he might do it. Zager declined to go into detail.
Zager also wouldn’t say if Tom Brady helped recruit Ibrahimović. Brady, Fox’s lead NFL game analyst, and Ibrahimović are acquaintances.
Fox, which began its pursuit of Ibrahimović last fall, will have an array of studio analysts for the expanded Cup. But Ibrahimović, Henry and longtime American rabble rouser Alexi Lalas are at the top of its roster.
During Ibrahimović’s nearly quarter-century of scoring goals for marquee clubs, including AC Milan and Inter Milan, the Swedish striker scored goals and delivered quotes. He played in MLS toward the end of his career, putting up 52 goals in 56 games for the LA Galaxy. He retired in 2023 with AC Milan. He also played in two World Cups, 2002 and 2006.
When he arrived with the Galaxy, he took out a full-page ad in the Los Angeles Times that said, “Dear Los Angeles, You’re welcome.” In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel in 2018, he said, “I’m not your typical Swedish guy, but I put Sweden on the map.” After he left MLS, and Lionel Messi arrived in 2023, Ibrahimović mused that fans in the United States could go back to watching soccer: “Since I left, they were watching baseball.”
When Ibrahimović played his lone season with Barcelona, he had a tense relationship with then-coach Pep Guardiola.
“When you buy me, you are buying a Ferrari,” Ibrahimović was quoted as saying. “If you drive a Ferrari, you put premium petrol in the tank, you hit the motorway and you step on the gas. Guardiola filled up with diesel and took a spin in the countryside. He should have bought a Fiat.”
What separates Barkley as a star-athlete-turned-analyst is his authenticity and his desire to be entertaining. It sounds as if Ibrahimović will be pressing the gas pedal throughout the whole tournament, as he was into being a part of Fox from the start.
“I think that was actually a cool part of the process,” Zager said. “He was so detail-oriented about if he is going to do this, he’s going to be good.”
