Ibrahimovic is always on the ball. Photo: Mark Earthy/Scanpix

Ibrahimovic has had plenty of success on the international soccer field. But despite his huge popularity among fans in both Sweden and abroad, the striker has not forgotten his roots.

In summer 2008 he started co-financing Zlatan Camps across Sweden together with a major sports brand. The idea with this unique training program is to give aspiring young soccer players the chance to sharpen their soccer skills, Ibrahimovic style.

Committed to youth soccer

The camps, hosted and organized by around 30 Swedish soccer clubs, are aimed at youngsters in the 7 to 13 age bracket. But Ibrahimovic has not simply injected cash — he has also helped design and approved every exercise and training routine in the scheme.

“This is something I burn for,” Ibrahimovic told Swedish newspaper Expressen. “I want to give something back to the kids.”

Michael Engleson, who in 2008 was responsible for the Zlatan Camp at Kristianstad BoIS in southern Sweden, said the Zlatan Camps were set to be the start of an ongoing project.

“We had 200 applications for 144 places and are already thinking forward to next year [2009], when we may make the camp a longer event, more of a ‘Zlatan Academy,’” Engleson says. “Glenn Hysén, the former Sweden captain, will be one of several top coaches at our camp in August [2008].”

The Zlatan Camps reflect a commitment to youth soccer in Sweden that has seen the country produce a host of stars.

Ibrahimovic's famous smile has been immortalized on this tunnel wall, just around the corner from where Ibrahimovic grew up in Malmö. Artist: Björn Carnemalm. Photo: Johan Nilsson/Scanpix

An early start

Ibrahimovic, the son of Bosnian immigrants who met in Sweden, began playing competitive soccer at the age of eight with Malmö Anadolu but soon moved to another local side, FBK Balkan. At the age of 14 he was on the books of the city’s top-flight club, Malmö FF, and was just 17 when he broke into the first team.

Scouts from top European clubs were already circling and although a move to Arsenal in the English Premier League fell through, in March 2001 Ibrahimovic was signed by Dutch Ajax Amsterdam for EUR 7.8 million (USD 12 million), a record fee paid to a Swedish club. After three seasons at Ajax he moved to Italy to join Juventus, but when the club — and Italian soccer — was rocked by a massive match-fixing scandal, Ibrahimovic insisted on a move and in August 2006 he joined Inter for EUR 24.8 million. And in 2009, he moved to Spanish club FC Barcelona.

Ibrahimovic is the latest in a long line of Swedish players to enjoy a rapid ascent from Swedish grassroots youth soccer to European center-stage. Fellow Sweden striker Fredrik Ljungberg started at Halmstads BK in Sweden when aged just five, while Sweden’s former inspirational winger Anders Limpar began at Brommapojkarna, a Stockholm club renowned as a “soccer factory” with over 240 active teams and around 3,000 players.

Will Sweden's soccer pitches be invaded by mini-Ibrahimovics after the summer camps? Photo: Adam Haglund/Maskot

Encouraging individuality

Bo Åström, youth team coach at Piteå IF, on the north-east coast of Sweden, is responsible for the Zlatan Camp at the club. They have divided the camps into two age brackets: one week for 7- to 9-year-olds, and one for 10- to 12-year-olds.

“With the youngest group we concentrate on playing games with a soccer theme,” Åström says, “and with the older group we focus more on soccer, but with the emphasis on it being something that is fun to do.

“We try to avoid being too competitive with younger players and only bring in competitive soccer from the age of 12 and upwards.”

Ibrahimovic wants to spread his soccer philosophy to young Swedish soccer players. According to him, a lot of it is about finding your individual style.

“Through the camps, Ibrahimovic wants to encourage players to express themselves as individuals and to learn how to play exciting soccer,” Kristianstad BoIS’s Engleson said.

Ibrahimovic himself has high hopes for the summer camps. ”Hopefully, we will produce one or more new Ibrahimovics, so that we can move away from the boring soccer you see in Sweden today,” he said to the Swedish public service broadcaster, Sveriges Television.

What do you think of Ibrahimovic? Feel free to comment below.

Paul Eade

Paul Eade is a British freelance writer living in Stockholm. His new book Walk & Eat Stockholm, a guide to walks in the Stockholm area and Swedish food, has just been published. As one who tends to side with the underdog, he would support Liechtenstein at Euro 2008, but as they didn’t quite make it to the finals, he will cheer Sweden on instead.

The author alone is responsible for the opinions expressed in this article.

Classification: A252ENb