Title:conversation with zelatan IBRAHIMOVIC!

Conversation text:

WITH THIS REMARKABLE GOAL IN HIS FIRST MATCH HERE IN L.A.,

OUR NEXT GUEST GOT THIS CITY INTERESTED IN MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER ONCE AGAIN.

FROM THE L.A. GALAXY, PLEASE WELCOME ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC!

Jimmy: WOW.

FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR COMING.

THANK YOU.

Jimmy: IT'S GREAT TO HAVE YOU HERE.

WHEN YOU FIRST GOT HERE, IT'S LIKE, OH, WE'VE GOT TO HAVE THIS GUY ON THE SHOW.

THEN I SAW -- I WAS LOOKING IN THE L.A. TIME AND YOU TOOK OUT AN ADVERTISEMENT --

A LOT OF ATHLETES WILL TAKE OUT A FULL-PAGE AD,

USUALLY WHEN THEY LEAVE, THEY THANK THE CITY FOR EVERYTHING.

BUT YOU TOOK ONE OUT AS YOU GOT STARTED.

AND IT SAYS, DEAR LOS ANGELES, YOU'RE WELCOME.

SO ON BEHALF OF ALL OF US, THANK YOU.

NO, I MEAN -- IT HAS BEEN A COUPLE OF YEARS, I HAD MY EYES IN LOS ANGELES,

I WANTED TO GIVE THEM A GIFT.

AND IT WAS YOU.

I WAS THINKING A LONG TIME.

AND THEN ONE DAY IT CAME, LIKE I SHOULD GIVE MYSELF.

THAT'S WHY I CAME OUT.

YOU'RE WELCOME.

Jimmy: YOU'RE FROM SWEDEN.

YES.

Jimmy: OBVIOUSLY.

YOU DON'T, AND MAYBE THIS IS A WEIRD PRECONCEIVED NOTION,

YOU DON'T STRIKE ME AS QUINTESSENTIALLY SWEDISH.

I KNOW YOU ARE SWEDISH.

BUT SWEDES ARE NOT BRAGGADOCIOS IN GENERAL, YES?

THEY'RE TOO NICE. I'M NOT SO NICE LIKE THAT.

Jimmy: IS THAT WHY YOU WERE ASKED TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY?

NO, NO, NO.

I MEAN, I'M NOT THE TYPICAL SWEDISH GUY, BUT I PUT SWEDEN ON THE MAP, SO.

Jimmy: YOU HAVE A LOT OF NICKNAMES.

I WAS READING THROUGH A BUNCH OF YOUR NICKNAMES.

WHICH ONE DO YOU LIKE?

IS THERE ONE THAT YOU REALLY FEEL STRONGLY ABOUT?

MY NAME IN THE BALKAN LANGUAGE MEANS \"GOLD.\"

SO I WOULD PREFER THAT.

BUT I KNOW PEOPLE HAVE DIFFICULTIES TO PRONOUNCE IT AND THAT.

SO THEN SOMEBODY WAS LIKE, IBRA,

PEOPLE CALLED ME IBRA.

Jimmy: THAT'S NOT A GREAT NAME.

NOW IT'S THE LION.

Jimmy: LION IS GOOD.

SNOOP DOGG ALREADY HAS LION, I THINK.

YOU HAVE TO CONSIDER WHAT'S TAKEN AND WHAT ISN'T,

YOU COULD GET SUED, WHO KNOWS WHAT COULD HAPPEN HERE.

I HAVE A NICKNAME IDEA FOR YOU.

I WANT TO RUN IT BY YOU.

THE SWEDISH FISH.

EVERYONE LOVES SWEDISH FISH HERE.

I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE AWARE OF THIS.

BACK HOME YOU PROBABLY JUST CALL THEM FISH.

BUT HERE WE CALL THEM THOSE LITTLE REDFISH

AND PEOPLE ARE LIKE, OH, YES, WE LOVE THEM SO MUCH.

I LIKE SOMETHING MORE POWERFUL.

Jimmy: MORE POWERFUL?

YEAH, YEAH.

Jimmy: THERE'S NOT ANYTHING MORE POWERFUL THAN THE SWEDISH FISH.

I'LL COME UP WITH SOMETHING ELSE FOR YOU.

MAKE SOMETHING ELSE.

Jimmy: SO YOUR FIRST GAME YOU SCORE A GOAL.

IT WAS AN AMAZING -- I MEAN, A LONG --

A LONG, POWERFUL, THRILLING GOAL.

BEFORE YOU GO OUT ON THE FIELD,

DO YOU HAVE IN YOUR HEAD, I AM GOING TO SCORE IN MY FIRST GAME?

I MEAN, I HAD A VISION BEFORE I COME.

I SAID, WHEN I COME, I KNOW THERE IS SOME EARTHQUAKES IN LOS ANGELES,

BUT THIS ONE WAS ME STEPPING IN LOS ANGELES.

I WANTED TO PUT THE -- I WANTED TO MAKE A STATEMENT.

AND I MEAN, EVERY MOVIE HAS A GOOD START, YEAH?

Jimmy: HAVE YOU BEEN SURPRISED BY -- NO, MOST MOVIES ARE TERRIBLE.

NOT THIS ONE.

Jimmy: NOT THIS ONE.

HAVE YOU BEEN SURPRISED –

BY THE WAY, YOU'VE SCORED IN YOUR FIRST GAME WITH ALMOST EVERY TEAM YOU'VE BEEN WITH, WHICH IS A CRAZY STATISTIC.

NOT LIKE THIS. THIS ONE WAS SPECIAL FOR LOS ANGELES.

Jimmy: HAVE YOU BEEN SURPRISED BY THIS REACTION, AND NOT JUST HERE IN LOS ANGELES,

BUT I KNOW LIKE YOU WENT TO CHICAGO AND IT WAS CRAZY.

LIKE YOU BARELY WERE ABLE TO GET OUT OF THE AIRPORT.

DOES THAT SURPRISE YOU? DID YOU EXPECT THIS IN THE UNITED STATES?

I MEAN, IN EUROPE THE FOOTBALL IS HUGE.

Jimmy: RIGHT.

IT'S BIG. SO WHEREVER I WENT, I MEAN, PEOPLE, THEY GET CRAZY AND THAT.

PEOPLE TOLD ME, WHEN YOU COME TO LOS ANGELES, DON'T WORRY, YOU CAN WALK ON THE STREETS AND THAT.

BUT SINCE DAY ONE -- ITS LIKE THAT.

Jimmy: NO, YEAH.

IT'S EVERYWHERE. IT IS MY OWN FAULT. IF YOU PLAY THE WAY I DO, I MEAN --

Jimmy: DO YOU PLAY OTHER SPORTS?

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU COULD HAVE BEEN A PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE PLAYING BASKETBALL OR ANYTHING.

I THINK MY Confidence IS WHAT PEOPLE HAVE NOTICED, IS VERY HIGH.

Jimmy: YEAH, I NOTICED THAT.

MY MENTAL QUALITY IS BULLET-PROOF.

WHATEVER I WOULD DO, I WOULD BE THE ONE I AM TODAY.

SO I'M JUST -- I CHOSE FOOTBALL.

AND I'M SORRY FOR THE OTHER FANS CHEERING FOR OTHER SPORTS, BECAUSE IT WOULD BE THE SAME THING.

Jimmy: DO YOU WORRY YOUR TEAMMATES WILL FEEL IN YOUR SHADOW,

BE OFFENDED BY YOUR CONFIDENCE AND ALL THE ATTENTION THAT YOU GET?

NO, NO, NO. I MAKE THEM SUPERSTARS JUST LIKE I MAKE YOU.

Jimmy: SO ANYTHING THEY ACHIEVE, REALLY, THEY CAN CREDIT TO YOU.

I'LL MAKE THEM PAY, DON'T WORRY.

Jimmy: THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF SPECULATION ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT YOU WILL PLAY IN THE WORLD CUP.

ARE YOU GOING TO PLAY IN THE WORLD CUP?

I'M GOING TO THE WORLD CUP, YES.

Jimmy: YOU'RE GOING TO THE WORLD CUP.

WHAT WILL YOU BE WEARING AT THE WORLD CUP?

WILL YOU HAVE CLEATS ON THE BOTTOM OF YOUR SHOES?

OR WILL THEY BE REGULAR SHOES?

I JUST SAID, I'M GOING TO THE WORLD CUP.

IF I SAY MORE, PEOPLE WILL HANG ME.

Jimmy: THEY WILL?

I HAVE TO BE CAREFUL.

Jimmy: IT SEEMS LIKE AN EXTREME REACTION TO YOU WANTING TO PLAY IN A SOCCER MATCH.

I MEAN, A WORLD CUP WITHOUT ME WOULDN'T BE A WORLD CUP.

Jimmy: DO YOU LIKE IT HERE?

ARE YOU ENJOYING YOUR TIME IN LOS ANGELES?

I MEAN, PEOPLE ARE VERY KINDLY WITH ME. YOU SEE THE AUDIENCE THERE.

Jimmy: YEAH, RIGHT.

YOU KNOW, YOU'RE NOT FROM HERE,

YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND, IT'S VERY UNUSUAL TO GET THIS KIND OF ENTHUSIASM FOR ANYTHING RELATED TO SOCCER.

I MEAN, FOR THE MOST PART HERE, SOCCER IS A GAME WE WISH OUR KIDS DIDN'T PLAY SO WE DIDN'T HAVE TO GO TO IT.

NO, NO, NO.

Jimmy: ON THE WEEKEND.

Jimmy: OH, I DON'T SEE ANY OF YOU OUT ON THE FIELD ON SATURDAY MORNINGS.

LISTEN, FIRST OF ALL, SOCCER, FOOTBALL WE CALL IT --

Jimmy: WE CALL IT SOCCER, GET USED TO IT.

WE CALL IT FOOTBALL.

Jimmy: RIGHT.

FOOTBALL IS THE BIGGEST SPORT IN THE WORLD.

Jimmy: IT IS, YES, I KNOW. I UNDERSTAND THAT.

SO IMAGINE NOW WHEN YOU PLAY FOOTBALL AND YOU'RE ON THE TOP, HOW YOU FEEL.

Jimmy: THE BIGGEST SPORT, BEING THE BEST PLAYER IN THE BIGGEST SPORT, HAS TO BE OBVIOUSLY THE ULTIMATE.

YEAH. THAT'S WHAT I FEEL.

Jimmy: YOU REALLY SHOULD GIVE TALKS TO PEOPLE. TEACH PEOPLE TO HAVE SELF-CONFIDENCE.

BECAUSE I REALLY -- I'M FEELING LIKE MORE OF A MAN JUST SITTING RIGHT NEXT TO YOU.

Thank you.

DO YOU WANT TO SEE ZLATAN,

ZLATAN? IS IT A CORRECT PRONUNCIATION? YES?

ZLATAN.