'I try to shape my boys into something'
Swedish star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has spoken about how he is trying to raise his sons to walk in his footsteps.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated on Tuesday, the Swedish footballer – who is currently in the US playing a series of friendly matches for his Paris Saint-Germain side – talked about his two sons Vincent, seven, and Maximilian, eight.
“I have two lovely boys. They're like two little beasts. They are training every day. I try to shape them into something, we'll see what the outcome will be,” said Ibrahimovic.
The Swede has previously spoken about how he is trying to give his boys as normal an upbringing as possible. As normal as it can be when your father has one of the most recognizable faces in football.
“I'm a family guy. If they're happy, I'm happy. I'm trying to do whatever is best for them. It is like life is repeating in my two sons. They're doing the same things I did when I was small,” he told Sports Illustrated.
One of the world's highest-paid footballers, earning about 200 million kronor a year, Ibrahimovic's current flashy lifestyle is a far cry from his upbringing in Rosengård – a Malmö area struggling with poverty and violence.
But the striker has always spoken highly of the area, famously saying, "You can take the boy out of Rosengård, but you can never take Rosengård out of the boy".
“Of course my children have more opportunities now. They get to discover the world in a different way. They get to do things and that's the big difference. But I give them the same discipline that my parents gave me, that's the most important,” he said on Tuesday.
They are however unlikely to grow up in Malmö, after it was recently revealed Ibrahimovic had sold his luxury mansion to Swedish NHL ice hockey player Carl Söderberg.
Rumours have it that the striker may be eyeing a return to AC Milan. However, the 33-year-old himself has insisted he is happy at PSG and has no plans of moving any time soon.
"I have no idea where these stories are coming from," he told a press conference last month.
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In an interview with Sports Illustrated on Tuesday, the Swedish footballer – who is currently in the US playing a series of friendly matches for his Paris Saint-Germain side – talked about his two sons Vincent, seven, and Maximilian, eight.
“I have two lovely boys. They're like two little beasts. They are training every day. I try to shape them into something, we'll see what the outcome will be,” said Ibrahimovic.
The Swede has previously spoken about how he is trying to give his boys as normal an upbringing as possible. As normal as it can be when your father has one of the most recognizable faces in football.
“I'm a family guy. If they're happy, I'm happy. I'm trying to do whatever is best for them. It is like life is repeating in my two sons. They're doing the same things I did when I was small,” he told Sports Illustrated.
One of the world's highest-paid footballers, earning about 200 million kronor a year, Ibrahimovic's current flashy lifestyle is a far cry from his upbringing in Rosengård – a Malmö area struggling with poverty and violence.
But the striker has always spoken highly of the area, famously saying, "You can take the boy out of Rosengård, but you can never take Rosengård out of the boy".
“Of course my children have more opportunities now. They get to discover the world in a different way. They get to do things and that's the big difference. But I give them the same discipline that my parents gave me, that's the most important,” he said on Tuesday.
They are however unlikely to grow up in Malmö, after it was recently revealed Ibrahimovic had sold his luxury mansion to Swedish NHL ice hockey player Carl Söderberg.
Rumours have it that the striker may be eyeing a return to AC Milan. However, the 33-year-old himself has insisted he is happy at PSG and has no plans of moving any time soon.
"I have no idea where these stories are coming from," he told a press conference last month.
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