Zlatan Ibrahimovic is famous for being one of the most confident professional athletes of his time. He backs up that supreme belief in himself with the skill that has made him one of the best football (or soccer) players of his generation. But now that he's retired, Ibrahimovic is enjoying his status as a sporting icon — with the New York Yankees bringing him in on Friday night to throw the ceremonial first pitch in their series-opener against the Toronto Blue Jays.
The pitch Ibrahimovic threw may not have been the worst, but it was far from the best. It forced the Yankees catcher to jump out of the box and snag the ball high and wide to the left-hand side of the plate. Of course, Ibrahimovic did not get to where he was as one of the best strikers of his time without having awareness of what makes him great. Speaking with reporters, Ibrahimovic recognized that his destiny, if he were to be a baseball player, was to be a long-ball machine.
“I would be the one who does the home runs. Easy. I would do a home run every game,” Ibrahimovic told Meredith Marakovits of YES Network.
No one should ever question the greatness of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. If he says he can hit a home run every game, then it is for the best for everyone to believe him. The Yankees better sign him to a contract as soon as possible.
In fact, Ibrahimovic hilariously said that Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton would be good options to back him up when Marakovits brought up that Judge and Stanton (6'7, 6'6, respectively) are taller than the Swede.
“That's good. So I have a good backup,” Ibrahimovic said of Judge and Stanton.
The Yankees introduce Zlatan Ibrahimovic to baseball
Baseball isn't too popular of a sport in Europe. Football (or as it's called stateside, soccer) is the most popular sport in the region, hence why Zlatan Ibrahimovic, at his impressive 6'5 frame, became one of the best target men in the world during his heyday in Serie A, La Liga, and Ligue 1.
Nonetheless, the Yankees have piqued Ibrahimovic's curiosity in the game of baseball.
“I'm pretty curious about the sport. I'm super excited. I have never watched a baseball game. This is the first time, live and not even in TV,” Ibrahimovic revealed.
Perhaps Ibrahimovic now has a soft spot for the sport of baseball and he would help popularize it in Europe.
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