Manchester United is known as one of the world’s biggest clubs, but according to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, that is not reflected in the way they treat players. In his new autobiography Adrenaline the veteran shares several anecdotes about notable events he experienced at Manchester United in his period between 2016 and 2018. He was stunned when the club once withheld a pound from his salary.
“There was something that surprised me,” writes the now 40-year-old AC Milan attacker. “Everyone sees Manchester United as a top club, one of the biggest and most powerful clubs in the world. As an outsider I thought the same thing. But once I got there, I found a small, closed mentality.” For example, Ibrahimovic found it remarkable that Wayne Rooney’s name was removed from his locker just a day after his transfer to Everton. Another example he cites in his autobiography is that he was summoned to pay for a drink he got from the minibar of his hotel room.
“I was in a hotel with the team the night before a game. I was thirsty, so I opened the minibar and had a fruit drink,” Ibrahimovic recalls. “We played the game and returned home. It took some time, then I saw my pay slip. Normally I don’t look at that, I only do that at the end of the year to see how much has come in and spent. But this time, I don’t know why, I was curious. I saw that they had deducted a pound from my monthly salary.” Ibrahimovic called the Manchester United team manager and describes the conversation they had next.
“‘Sorry, why was a pound deducted from my salary?’ I asked. The team manager looked at it for a moment and said, ‘It was the fruit juice you got from the minibar.’ “You’re kidding, aren’t you?” “No. If you order something here, you have to pay for it.” “Yes, but I didn’t choose to go to the hotel myself. I wasn’t on vacation. It was my workplace. I was there for the club. If I have to play and I’m thirsty, I have to drink. You you can’t go out on the field dehydrated.'” Ibrahimovic finds it hard to believe years later. “A pound? That would never happen in Italy. With such details, you make the difference and earn the player’s respect.”
Ibrahimovic was also annoyed by the way he was treated in other areas. After his move from Paris Saint-Germain to Manchester United in 2016, it took a long time before he was able to enter the club grounds without any problems. “Every day I had to show my papers when I arrived at the training complex. I opened my window and said to the person at the entrance: ‘Listen, I’ve been coming here every day for a month. I’m the best football player in the world. If you don’t recognize me, you’re in the wrong job.'”