Although Zlatan Ibrahimovic has moved on from the LA Galaxy, his former teammates continue to be asked what it was like to play with the enormous striker and his equally outsized personality.
Galaxy midfielder Joe Corona was the latest to be asked during his recent interview with Herculez Gomez and Mauricio Pedroza of ESPN Deportes.
"Zlatan is a personality," Corona said. "Unique. He had his moments like we all do. From my point of view, it was a privilege to play alongside a player who's a soccer legend. To be his teammate you have stories that you remember and you can laugh about."
That's not to minimize Ibrahimovic's famous intensity. Corona recalls one time when he gave the team a dressing down after a comprehensive victory.
"I think it was a game that we won, something like 3-0," Corona recalled. "The game was over and he came in and scolded all of us. We had won and we all played really well. So he's a player who demanded a lot. There were times that he was in a good mood and on some days he didn't even give you a good morning. We all knew him. That's how he was and that's what his personality was. On a personal level I never had a problem with him. On the field he demanded a lot. But we always had a great relationship. And it was a privilege to play with him."
As for the man tasked with filling Ibrahimovic's giant shoes in the No. 9 role, Corona has come away impressed with Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez so far, even if the goals have yet to start flowing.
"Despite all the criticism and the demands that were made of him from the very first day he was here," he said. "They wanted him to score five goals in his first game. Setting all this aside, he's a very level-headed person and that surprised me. He doesn't let any of this get to his head."
