Bharath Rammr
At the time of signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic, many raised their eyebrows since Manchester United seemed to be taking a major gamble. Even though the Swedish forward has scored numerous goals throughout his career, he would be coming into a new league at the age of 35. Many expected Ibrahimovic to be a super sub, but it has not been the case. The Swedish striker has been able to dominate the goal scoring charts, and he is just one short of Alexis Sanchez and Diego Costa with 14 goals so far.
A few weeks ago, he claimed that age is not a concern and that he would like to play for several more years because he still feels 20 in his mind. Jose Mourinho claimed that the time of signing Ibrahimovic that he expected the 35-year-old to be a role model for every United youngster. It seems that the striker is having a far bigger impact, as Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure seems to have taken inspiration. Toure was believed to be on the verge of leaving City once Pep Guardiola was announced as the manager.
After a few months from the wilderness, he has been brought back to the first-team. Even though he has been played as a defensive midfielder, Toure has been a vital cog in the City team over the last few months. The player recently revealed that he had turned down a massive offer, understood to be in the region of £ 400,000 per week, in order to join Chinese clubs. Now, he says that the inspiration to stay in England even at 34 came after watching Ibrahimovic for United. As quoted by the Sun, Toure said:
“I want to play in Europe, especially in England. I want to continue doing that for a few years yet. Look at my friend Ibrahimovic. He’s 35 and he’s going to play for maybe three more years?
“He’s got the same mentality as me. He’s a big player, a champion who loves football. It’s football first. Anything after that is a bonus.”
Toure is certainly not short of money as he has been earning £220,000 per week for a number of years now. Toure was one of the first players in the English Premier league to earn more than £200,000 per week. Now, almost every top player is close to this figure. Even though his contract runs out in the summer, the midfielder is not worried about the uncertainty. He is confident of persuading manager Guardiola to give him a new deal.
Ibrahimovic maybe 35, but United are considering the possibility of tying down the striker on a new two-year contract rather than taking the option of the further year in his existing contract. Just like every other top player, Ibrahimovic has also received plenty of offers from across the globe. Yet, the opportunity to win titles even in England appears to be a huge motivating factor for the 35-year-old. Ibrahimovic has certainly been a revelation not just in United, but it seems that his reach extends to rivals.
