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Ibra Fever - Bigger than Beckham?


Ibra Fever - Bigger than Beckham?  

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  1. 1. Ibra Fever - Bigger than Beckham?

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'The perfect LA story'.

David Beckham's arrival in Los Angeles in 2007 had a Hollywood feel about it, but Zlatan Ibrahimovic's MLS entrance was "bigger than ever", according to those around LA Galaxy.

The enigmatic Swede was mobbed on landing in California last week and gave fans a strike worthy of the silver screen.

He lashed in a 40-yard equaliser and then a late winner in a stunning 4-3 win over newfound rivals LAFC. Has there ever been anything more Zlatan?

He surprised even those closest to the club.

"I still get goosebumps when I see it," says LA Galaxy manager Sigi Schmid. "It's one of the best goals I've seen anyone score and I've watched a lot of goals."

Beckham's shirts had to be boxed up and moved out of the club shop to make room for 'Ibrahimovic' jerseys, which continue to fly off the rails - even at $150 (£107)

"It's bigger than I've ever seen, huge," says Galaxy retail manager Sean Bell. "His debut was the perfect LA story."

Ibrahimovic charmed US reporters with his post-match comments on Saturday, telling them "every movie has a good ending" - but is his film-star persona the same when the cameras stop rolling?

"He's down to earth," says team-mate Emmanuel Boateng, who has watched Ibrahimovic helping Galaxy academy players since arriving.

"He was there giving them advice, making it easier for them to step up and train with us. He's a good guy to have in the locker room, makes jokes and he's always relaxed."

Ibrahimovic has dubbed the US league the 'MLZ'. On this evidence, he's right.

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Ibra brings more excitement on the pitch than Beckham by far. But Beckham is obviously the bigger celebrity. 

Ibra probably more effective at building long term interest in coning to the games and genuinely watching the product that is the MLS

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15 minutes ago, RandoEFC said:

I think he'll seem bigger than Beckham now that we live in the world of social media etc.

my thoughts exactly.     we'll wait if zlatan's staying power will be greater than that of beckham.

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I don't think Ibra will be bigger for the average person in the US. Beckham was known to people who don't even give a fuck about football in the US, Ibrahimovic will already be known to people who are into the sport already in the US. And some of the people who only really care about football until the World Cup comes around might be a bit more familiar. But there's quite a few people in the US who have no clue who he is.

He's better for the overall quality of the league compared to Beckham though, who went while he was still a good player (and still able to play well at a decent level on loan to AC Milan from LA Galaxy) he was pretty far removed from his best. Ibrahimoivic isn't at his best, but his best was fucking incredible and now he's playing against a much weaker level of opponent. We will see Zlatan do outrageous things in the MLS.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Former Houston Dynamo forward Calen Carr believes Zlatan Ibrahimovic has already had a "phenomenal" impact on Major League Soccer since joining LA Galaxy.

After a glitzy arrival in California, the Sweden veteran scored twice on his debut in the LA derby before taking his tally to three goals in three games with the winner against Chicago Fire in his first start on Saturday.

Carr believes the record crowd in Illinois at the weekend proves the 36-year-old is already making waves in the USA and his goal there answered critics who questioned whether he could cope with varying climates

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varying climates? Hasn't he already had that with a season in Manchester and pretty much all around Europe?

Also, 'phenomenal' is a bit of a stretch. The goals on his debut were quite special (one in terms of ability and the header in terms of the derby winner), but it's only been a couple of games in a league he is far too good for anyway even at 36 xD 

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He’s also know for being bang average in big games, going missing and making people think he’s better than he is by scoring a worldie every now and again and taking the piss out of defenders in the French league. Not sure how Beckham is thought of not being on his level having played for United, Real Madrid, AC Milan and captaining his country. It’s not all about flicks and tricks. He had one of the best deliveries of a football I’ve ever seen.

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Not even close, maybe for actually fans of MLS. However Americans in general were stoked for Beckham, he was the easiest man to market in the world at the time.... Cristiano might have taken that title today though.

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1 hour ago, Stan said:

varying climates? Hasn't he already had that with a season in Manchester and pretty much all around Europe?

Also, 'phenomenal' is a bit of a stretch. The goals on his debut were quite special (one in terms of ability and the header in terms of the derby winner), but it's only been a couple of games in a league he is far too good for anyway even at 36 xD 

Don't forget what country we're dealing with here xD

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2 hours ago, DeadLinesman said:

He’s also know for being bang average in big games, going missing and making people think he’s better than he is by scoring a worldie every now and again and taking the piss out of defenders in the French league. Not sure how Beckham is thought of not being on his level having played for United, Real Madrid, AC Milan and captaining his country. It’s not all about flicks and tricks. He had one of the best deliveries of a football I’ve ever seen.

A pretty Charlie Adam basically?

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Not saying Beckham was shit but hardly a world-beating talent. Earned more money and became more famous than his peers because of personality, marketing and marrying a spyce girl, more than anything he did with a ball in his feet.

Great free kick and crosser, some people will tell you that's enough for winger, it can be, but it's not enough for a player you'd consider to be amongst the best of his generation. He never got to the level of his Real Madrid teammates, not even close. He was never fast, couldn't dribble, had no skill or flair to him. It seems that he was the media darling in that Man United team despite his obvious limitations, which got him a move to Real Madrid as they love that type of player, the perfect galatico. He went on to score an appalling 20 goals in 155 appearances for Real Madrid, half of them probably free kick goals.

Neither Milan or PSG signed him for his abilities. Maybe it was 50/50 with LA Galaxy and Real Madrid.

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David Bekham was a fantastic player in his height but Ibrahimović was world class and maybe a bit more in his prime... The difference between the two career wise was that Beckham didn't bottle it whereas Ibra did for me by going to play for PSG while he was still in his prime. Bekham on the other hand moved from Manchester United to Real Madrid... Tell me about that!

Both players at their height?  Zlatan was a phenomenon in what he did while Beckham was one of the brilliant players. There's a difference!

Now... As a marketing entity, nobody will ever compare to David Beckham in the football world, nobody!  I doubt celebrity wise Zlatan Ibrahimović is bigger than David Beckham in that aspect.

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17 minutes ago, Machado said:

Not saying Beckham was shit but hardly a world-beating talent. Earned more money and became more famous than his peers because of personality, marketing and marrying a spyce girl, more than anything he did with a ball in his feet.

Great free kick and crosser, some people will tell you that's enough for winger, it can be, but it's not enough for a player you'd consider to be amongst the best of his generation. He never got to the level of his Real Madrid teammates, not even close. He was never fast, couldn't dribble, had no skill or flair to him. It seems that he was the media darling in that Man United team despite his obvious limitations, which got him a move to Real Madrid as they love that type of player, the perfect galatico. He went on to score an appalling 20 goals in 155 appearances for Real Madrid, half of them probably free kick goals.

Neither Milan or PSG signed him for his abilities. Maybe it was 50/50 with LA Galaxy and Real Madrid.

Why do you need to be fast, or a dribbler when you can literally beat 3/4 players simply with how you play a ball? Paul Scholes wasn’t fast and didn’t dribble, but he was midfielder. It seems every player is now compared to Messi or Ronaldo. If they can’t dribble past 20 players or run really fast, they’re not ‘world class’. Absolute fallacy.

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Just now, DeadLinesman said:

If you can’t come up with a decent counter argument, why bother? If you think he was on par with Charlie Adam, there’s no need to even try and debate.

I was being facetious.

Beckham was a brilliant player but no more than the the likes of Gerrard, Lampard and even his team mates giggs and scholes. Let's not forget he was frequently out of the Real Madrid team, he does not deserve comparison with the likes of Figo, Zidane etc.

I also resent the whole 'Beckham is a nice guy' stuff. The man is a vacuous void,  a walking advert and his emails about the knighthood show him up tp be a deeply cynical fella. Beckham, not entirely his fault,  is a symbol of all that is wrong with British culture. The respect for the thick but pretty.

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4 minutes ago, The Artful Dodger said:

I was being facetious.

Beckham was a brilliant player but no more than the the likes of Gerrard, Lampard and even his team mates giggs and scholes. Let's not forget he was frequently out of the Real Madrid team, he does not deserve comparison with the likes of Figo, Zidane etc.

I also resent the whole 'Beckham is a nice guy' stuff. The man is a vacuous void,  a walking advert and his emails about the knighthood show him up tp be a deeply cynical fella. Beckham, not entirely his fault,  is a symbol of all that is wrong with British culture. The respect for the thick but pretty.

I never know with you........

I’d never class him with a Zidane. I think Figo was overrated personally. I agree about ‘brand Beckham’. I hated the fact it took away from what a decent player he was.

Genuinely just don’t get the fuss over Ibrahimovic.  

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4 minutes ago, DeadLinesman said:

I never know with you........

I’d never class him with a Zidane. I think Figo was overrated personally. I agree about ‘brand Beckham’. I hated the fact it took away from what a decent player he was.

Well he did live at Beckingham Palace! :ph34r:

Seriously though... His brand name hurt the judgment quality of his football at his height without a shadow of a doubt. But anyone that knows football will know that he was decisive during his hight!  But then again the brand name earned him a hell of a lot of money and celebrity status that will probably last his lifetime and a couple of generations of his family to come.

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Did we seriously bring up Beckham's goal scoring? He was the most traditional winger of recent history. Of course he wasn't going to get that many goals compared to what wingers are nowadays. Beckham was a player of sheer technique and delivery.  I admired his ability as a footballer and the twat always loved a goal against us. 

The whole 'Ibra doesn't deliver in big games' is a myth. And quite honestly I believed it too. He's scored against nearly every top club in a very important domestic game and Champions League game. 

 You just have to look at his trophy cabinet and his goal scoring record in nearly all of the top leagues. A very large handful of which are at the utmost quality. This isn't a striker who relies on pace, he is quite possibly the most technical striker in recent history. 2nd to Ronaldo. 

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