Rodéric Filippi, former defender of GFC Ajaccio, crossed paths with Zlatan Ibrahimovic during his time at Paris Saint-Germain. Now a gardener for the Ajaccio town hall, the Corsican spoke in L'Équipe about this memorable memory facing the Swedish star. And his testimony clearly illustrates the duality of the character Zlatan: formidable competitor, but not devoid of humanity.
“The only one I had a clash with was Zlatan. He put brushes on me when the ball was on the opposite side”says Filippi with a smile. On the pitch, the former PSG scorer was clearly not there to joke. Powerful, dominant, sometimes provocative, Zlatan cultivated this image of an intimidator. However, the anecdote takes an unexpected turn: “ At one point, I pulled a muscle a little, almost a strain, and he came to tell me: “Be careful for your career…”, so not a bad guy. »
Zlatan, a bad guy… not so bad
This simple gesture, a phrase slipped into the middle of the fight, reminds us that behind the facade of the Swedish giant was an attentive player, respectful of his peers. Ibrahimovic, often perceived as arrogant or cynical, also knew how to recognize the efforts of opponents who stood up to him.
Filippi keeps memories of it mixed with pain and respect. Zlatan will remain for him the perfect incarnation of the total footballer: merciless between the lines, but capable, once the ball is stopped, of a real man's gesture.
