In For The Hat Trick

Earlier this week, Zlatan Ibrahimovic got the full New York Times treatment — a lenghy-ish profile by Sam Borden that ran in Monday’s Sports section. It’s a good story, and it raises some interesting questions. For instance: Is Zlatan as conceited as everyone seems to think? Or is he just having a laugh? At one point, Ibra tells Borden about his two sons:

“‘I changed diapers when they were babies,’ he said, adding, ‘I know other footballer may not, but I do.’ Then he shrugged, as if slipping back into character. ‘Of course, I am very good at it,’ he said with a grin.” 

In December, Zlatan claimed that “I don’t need the Ballon d’Or to know I’m the best.” Judging from Twitter, some people thought he was serious. Maybe now they’ll finally get the joke.