Thoughts About Sport

phenomenon-of-ibrahimovic:

As artist Paul Trevillion analyses Ibrahimovic’s wonder goal, Sportsmail looks at why we all now know he’s a genius…

 Zlatan Ibrahimovic gave himself the perfect 10 but for once he may have been guilty of underestimating his own importance.

For a start there was the wonder goal, a 30-yard propeller kick, the final piece in his four-goal demolition of England which quickly became an internet sensation, hailed as one of the best goals ever.

But there was more to it, because after a night when the Swedes declared their handsome new national stadium open for business, their captain’s heroics were considered capable of healing social wounds and stemming the rise of the political far-right in the country.
Even in slow motion, Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s incredible acrobatic propeller kick is difficult to comprehend. He is 6ft 5in and 15st, so how did he leap eight feet in the air to score a 30-year goal? Artist Paul Trevillion explains…

1. Main man: Zlatan Ibrahimovic celebrates his goal
2. Quick of thought and totally focused, he sights the ball and bends his knees to prepare
3. The non-kicking left foot leaves the ground first
4. The left foot’s rapid upward swing gets him airbourne
5. In mid-air, he brings the kicking foot into play
6. The right foot strikes the ball in a looping goal-bound trajectory
7. The momentum of the strike spins him over before landing and celebrating 

.. How could we not post about this?

Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored 4 goals in a friendly against England last week - and his 4th was an absolute beauty. It almost made everybody forget about the other 3 he scored!

Would you say this was the greatest overhead kick ever? There are a few contenders in Jamie Redknapp’s overhead kick guide.