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| | Friday 13 June, 2008 | | Blog: The new Ibra | | Niggling injuries often get the better of footballers, but James Horncastle believes Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s troublesome knee has paradoxically made him an improved player |  |  | | Wouldn’t it be nice to be a professional footballer, eh? Pampered, idolised with age on your side, women on your arm and money in your pocket, life simply couldn’t get any better, could it? Let’s be honest, that’s how most of us think when we watch them from the stands, or our local pub, isn’t it?
A trifle romanticised, perhaps. Footballers may lead charmed lives, but their careers are shorter and riskier than most of ours. A bad game or injury can spell the end of what is often the only thing they know and the beginning of a painful existence, physically and mentally.
Holland Coach Marco Van Basten’s premature retirement as a player in 1995 is a cautionary tale as are Roberto Baggio’s recent revelations that everyday tasks you and I take for granted, like driving, are made difficult by his knee, which constantly seizes up, a painful reminder of several operations that patched him up and kept him playing.
Their stories make Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s recent form remarkable and alarming given he is still recovering from a bothersome knee injury suffered in February, for which surgery was recommended yet never carried out. Ibra’s stunning goal against Greece, the best of the Euro 2008 so far, underlined what became apparent after his Scudetto saving performance at Parma on the last day of the season.
He came off the bench to score twice in 39 minutes at the Ennio Tardini, and showed how his injury is actually focusing him. Once criticised for being wasteful, Ibra is becoming a lot more ruthless and takes every chance as if it is his last. “I score when we need to, I did it against Greece, at the perfect moment. It was a fantastic sensation,” said Ibra. “My knee is slightly swollen, but is not painful. It will not stop me, I’ll be available for our remaining games.”
It is common knowledge that footballers rarely play at full fitness, but knee injuries like Ibra’s, while a blessing in making him more prolific when on the pitch, will ultimately make his appearances and opportunities to score all the more scarce.
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