Zlatan Ibrahimović and Tom Brady are two of the most decorated athletes in the world. Ibrahimović has won league titles around the world with some of the biggest clubs, while Brady has seven Super Bowls and countless NFL records to his name.
Another thing they both have in common: They’re never satisfied because of an insatiable drive to win.
Ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Ibrahimović sat down with Brady to talk about the differences in their sports and their desire to be the best.
Brady summed up their attitudes well at one point: “We’d have been good teammates.”
Ibrahimović won league titles in the Netherlands, Italy, Spain and France (12 in total), and he also won multiple trophies in his only full season with Manchester United. He scored more than 550 goals for his clubs and the Swedish national team throughout his career.
“You’re never satisfied, that was my thing,” Ibrahimović said. “When I did good, the next day I forgot about what I did yesterday because I always wanted more and I think that’s mental also.”
How much did the Swedish legend want to win? Brady brought up how locked in he was, especially when there was more to a matchup than just the game.
“If you create the anger with the enemy, which in the sport is the opposing team, you’re the most focused,” Brady said. “You’re locked in completely. If you’re playing your brother in something, you want to beat him, but you don’t want to beat him that bad. It’s your brother, you love him, you care for him.”
Ibrahimović disagreed.
“I would smash him on the field,” he said. “Yeah, I would smash it. I don’t care. There’s only one winner, me or him. Then outside, hug.”
Ibrahimović played 122 times for the Swedish national team and scored 62 goals, making him the country’s all-time leading goalscorer. He explained to Brady how his “must-win” mentality did not always mesh well with the national team.
“Sweden, we used to do a lot of team building, different things and not football. Like outside the pitch we would do together, I don’t know, do some different events, different exercise mental and like the, how do you say the group thing, the team spirit and that. So just to gather everybody together. And Sweden, as a culture, is pretty soft. It’s nice.
“I was the only one that was different compared to them because I had a different approach. I was demanding things and in Sweden, [it’s] like, ‘Let’s have a look at what occurs.’ No, no. That is not my strategy.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the very best Swedish soccer ever. (Scott Heavey/Getty Photos)
How intense did issues get at occasions? Throughout his membership profession, Ibrahimović mentioned, “I had gamers that had been crying.”
Brady can undoubtedly relate to Ibrahimović’s perspective. He famous that the teammates who had been prepared to place the additional time in and confirmed a capability to bounce again from adversity had been those he gravitated towards.
“I worth the teammates that went by way of the onerous issues as a result of I am going, ‘Man, I might do something for that man,’ as a result of I noticed what he is all about,” Brady mentioned.
“I noticed when he had a recreation and everybody booed him and he went house and he bought the following day by the coach after which he got here out to follow the 2 days later with the very best perspective, desirous to be higher, stayed after follow, labored on the issues that he wasn’t good at within the recreation. The following morning earlier than anybody bought there was engaged on the issues that he wasn’t good at, then went to follow, confirmed enhancements, stayed after follow, did extra, stayed on the facility, watched extra movie. Then, the following Sunday, got here out and he carried out his greatest.”
