Zlatan Ibrahimovic is one of the most legendary soccer stars of all time. Zlatan has won multiple titles with various top clubs that are considered to be the elites of European football. The retired soccer star is renowned for his outspoken nature and he has talked about his religion as well.
Zlatan was born to a Muslim father and a Catholic mother. The former Barcelona star has opened up about following his mother’s religion and not following his father’s religion.
Where is Zlatan from?
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was born in Malmo, Sweden. His father, Sefik Ibrahimovic, was from Bosnia, while his mother, Jurka Gravic, was Croatian. Both of his parents had come to Sweden as emigrants where they met, fell in love, and eventually got married.
Zlatan’s parents, however, got divorced when Zlatan was only 2 years old. His mother alone catered to her five children, including Zlatan, while being a single mother. The former Barcelona striker was sent to live with his father, Sefik, when he was 9 years old. Occasionally, Zlatan also spent time with his mother and lived with her.
“Football is one religion and everybody’s welcome” ✊
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Zlatan had a tough childhood. The place where Zlatan was born, Rosengard, was, according to him, “a place of crime.” Zlatan revealed in his book ‘I Am Zlatan’ that he often had to sleep hungry at night as his father only had beer for food at his house. The former PSG legend also revealed that he used to steal and shoplift motorbikes during his early days.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic does not follow his father’s religion
Zlatan’s father, Sefik, is a Muslim while his mother, Jurka, is a devout Croatian catholic. However, Zlatan has chosen not to follow his father’s religion, Islam. Zlatan has called himself to be “very catholic.” Zlatan even has a tattoo on his body that says, “Only God can judge me.“
A very important name for me. pic.twitter.com/8Pp8FGg1Kn
— Zlatan Ibrahimović (@Ibra_official) February 13, 2015
Although Zlatan is a self-declared Catholic, he has also many tattoos related to different religions on his body. Zlatan has his family name, ‘Ibrahimovic’, tattooed on the back of his right arm in Arabic. The former Manchester United star has also tattooed the word ‘Abdullah’ on his left shoulder. Apart from these, Zlatan also has tattoos, which relate to Buddhism, Japanese culture, and the Maori tribe.