Zlatan: I’m not a bad boy, I’m a family man

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has insisted he is not arrogant and instead projected himself as a “family man” ahead of his Premier League bow for Manchester United this weekend.

The 34-year-old Swede, who joined on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain last month, scored the winning goal as United defeated champions Leicester City in the Community Shield last weekend and is likely to start for the trip to Bournemouth.

Ibrahimovic has won major honours at Ajax, Juventus, Internazionale, Barcelona, AC Milan and Paris before linking-up with Jose Mourinho in Manchester this summer but he rubbished the fanfare surrounding his “bad boy” image.

Speaking to Sky Sports on the eve of the new Premier League season, Ibrahimovic said: “I’m a normal person. People have the image of me that I’m a bad boy; I’m this and I’m that. People are curious: ‘How is this Zlatan?’

“I’m a family guy. I’m taking care of my family, but when I come on the pitch I’m a lion. That’s the big difference. I don’t believe I’m arrogant in the way that people think. I’m confident. I believe in myself.

“That’s not being arrogant. That’s something I believe is an individual strength in the human being.

“I have confidence and I believe in myself. I have a vision and I do everything. I work hard for it. I don’t believe that’s arrogant.

Ibrahimovic showed his physical attributes in the 2-1 victory against Leicester at Wembley last Sunday, leaping above Wes Morgan to head past Kasper Schmeichel and deliver a first trophy of his stay in the North West with Mourinho’s side.

“My ambition is a stupid ambition, I have to confess, because it is an impossible ambition,” Mourinho admitted at full-time. “My ambition is to win every game, so my ambition now is to win against Bournemouth. That will be very difficult. Can we win? We have to think about that.

“After Bournemouth, it doesn’t matter about the result, we will play against Southampton and we want to win. We want to win every game. It is a very stupid motivation but if you look in a different perspective then it is what we have to do – improve, improve, improve and every match we will try to win.”