Here is a profile for Zlatan Ibrahimovic detailing information about his brand endorsements, sponsors, investments and charity work.
BIO
- Date of Birth – 3 October 1981
- Place of Birth – Malmö, Sweden
- Nationality – Swedish
- Earnings via Endorsements – US$5m (Source – Forbes)
- First professional appearance (domestically) – 19 September 1999 for Malmö FF in an Allsvenskan match against Halmstads BK. (Result – Halmstad 2 – 1 Malmö)
- First professional appearance (internationally) – 31 January 2001 for Sweden’s senior team in an international friendly match against the Faroe Islands. (Result – Sweden 0 – 0 Faroe Islands)
Also read: Top 10 richest active male footballers in the world in 2022
Sponsors and Endorsements
Nike
Zlatan has had a complicated relationship with his boot sponsors. In his early days at Ajax, he could be seen wearing Puma boots, and would switch to Adidas while on international duty. He was officially sponsored by Nike between 2004 and 2014 but has since had an on-and-off relationship with the American brand. He still wears Nike boots, but no longer endorses them, with reports of Puma – the kit supplier of his current club, Milan – is ready to sign Ibra on an official basis.
Volvo
Zlatan has been an official ambassador of the Gothenburg-headquartered Swedish manufacturing company since UEFA Euro 2016 and continues to feature in its promotional content.
H&M
The Stockholm-headquartered Swedish multinational clothing company announced in October 2022 that Zlatan would be headlining a campaign the spring after “as a global brand mover for H&M Move”.
The “Selected by Zlatan” collection was launched in April 2023.
Previous deals
Adidas
Zlatan has an official boot sponsorship deal with Adidas for the 2016-17 season, which he spent at Manchester United, whose kits were supplied by the German brand.
Microsoft Xbox One
The Swede became an official ambassador of Xbox One for France in November 2013, while he was playing for PSG.
Nivea Men
Zlatan in an advert for the German personal care brand in February 2014.
Vitamin Well
Zlatan has been an ambassador of the Stockholm-headquartered vitamin-enriched beverages manufacturer since December 2014. In March 2015, he launched his own beverage called Vitamin Well Upgrade.
VISA
VISA snapped up Zlatan as an ambassador to cover the FIFA Men’s World Cup Russia 2018 to spread the good word of contactless technology. The Swede was playing for MLS side LA Galaxy at the time.
OTHER VENTURES
Before he retired, Zlatan began trying out his hand in an acting career. His first prominent role came in 2023’s French-language action comedy movie Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom, in which he plays a character named “Caius Antivirus”. He is also credited with an as-himself appearance in 2022’s The Soccer Football Movie.
Investments
A-Z Sportswear
A-Z was a clothing line for men, women and kids launched by Zlatan in 2016 in collaboration with Norwegian fashion brand Varner. However, the company had to shut down two years later after accruing losses in excess of £18m.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic Parfums
Zlatan Ibrahimovic Parfums is a line of perfumes Zlatan launched during his PSG days in collaboration with Swedish cosmetics brand Amazing Brands Stockholm.
Hammarby IF
Zlatan acquired 23.5% of the shares of Swedish top-flight club Hammarby IF in November 2019. This decision has brought him severe criticism from Malmö FF fans, who has since continued to vandalise his statue located outside Eleda Stadion, Malmö’s home ground.
Zlatan Legends
In collaboration with Swedish developer ISBIT Games, Ibra launched his own online arcade sports game in August 2017 called Zlatan Legends. ISBIT later got shut down in August 2019.
Notable Charity Work
- In August 2014, Zlatan donated £30,000 to a Swedish national team of players with learning disabilities to participate in the INAS World Championships in Brazil.
- Zlatan has been an ambassador to the United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP) for many years. Food scarcity is an issue that resonates deeply with the Swede, for he experienced it first-hand while growing up. In February 2015, Zlatan brought attention to the global matter by taking his shirt off after scoring in a Ligue 1 match for PSG, revealing the names of 50 people suffering from hunger round the world inked on his body.
- In March 2020, he started a fundraiser to raise a million euros to help the hospital across Milan, Bergamo, Castellanza and Torino in the battle against coronavirus, while personally donating €100,000.
- In January 2021, Ibrahimovic and Romelu Lukaku got engaged in a furious spat on the pitch during a Coppa Italia game between Inter and AC Milan, for which both players were fined by their respective teams. It was revealed by the clubs in April 2021 that amount accrued from these fines would go towards charitable causes.
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