article: He was playing against opponents who, earlier that season, had wound him up so badly that it completely put him off his game. Players who 24 hours earlier had spoken to a newspaper to explain, in detail, how this imposter was going to be stopped. The supporters didn't like him. Nothing was going right. And then, taking possession 40 yards out, Ibrahimovic explodes. A dart forward. The acceleration beginning. A quick stepover, round one opponent, speed increasing. Another stepover. Outside another, back inside the same man as he tries to recover and then a shot into the bottom corner from 18 yards. "He could have passed," recalled one of the opponents he had left trailing in his wake. "But he had read the article. It was as if he was saying, 'Forget it guys. It's me'." Ibrahimovic was not finished. Initial glee, wide smile, on bended knee, waving an arm in mock celebration to show how easy it was. Then something else, more serious, a point to be made. A cup-eared celebration, blowing kisses to the crowd who were already in a state of fury. He was 19. The goal is well known among Swedish fans. The reaction to it new. It is part of a documentary 'Becoming Zlatan' to be released in August that contains remarkable archive footage of Ibrahimovic's early years at Malmo. Getting such close access at an early stage of his career was sheer good fortune for brothers Fredrik and Magnus Gertten, who shot the footage in 2000 and 2001 as part of a film intended to show the conflict between young and older players at their beloved Malmo. They needed a focus for each side of the debate. They had heard of Ibrahimovic and approached him. "The way he saw it, of course we should make a documentary him," said Fredrik. "It suited his self image. He was only 17 but he had a very strong confidence that he would make it because he had something special." Manchester United's newest recruit has a reputation for saying what he thinks. Numerous times in recent weeks he refused to say where he was going, even though his destination after leaving Paris St-Germain was obvious. Instead he said he amused himself by reading what was being written and would eventually let everyone know, at a time of his choosing. He meant it. When he posted United's badge on Instagram, he even beat his new club to the news by 24 hours. "We are not part of the football world," said Gertten. "Our business is making social and political films. Our initial experience of dealing with footballers was that nothing of them ever comes out in what they say. Their words are controlled, boring, nothing. "Zlatan was different. Here was a young guy who said interesting things, very honest things about himself and his emotions. It was so fresh. It made you feel warm towards him. "The problem is people don't always like honesty. When someone says what they think it can be painful." His Croatian mother and hard-drinking Bosnian father
summary: It was typical of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.