Zlatan Ibrahimović: Playing for a club like Bayern Munich would certainly not have been bad, just because of the club's history and players. They couldn't have afforded me (laughs). But no, to be honest, there was never an opportunity to move there. It would have been nice but fate had other plans."

… whether young players today are less obedient and willing to accept advice from older players:

If you go back ten years, people probably said the same thing: "The new generation doesn't listen to the old generation." And if you look back 20 years, it would be the same. But young players should have exactly this self-confidence and mentality so that they can go their own way. You can't take away their character, ambition and vision. They have to be allowed to live out their lives and do their own thing. Of course, they should also learn - and that's what I see as my job: to guide them on their way with my experience as a leader. 

… whether he still sees no future as a coach:

Currently: Yes. I don't want to continue to be a coach because it's too much work for me. You have to cover so many areas, find ideas and solutions, prepare for and follow up on games, coach. You work day and night. A year as a coach would feel like ten years to me. So that doesn't appeal to me.

… about the development of football and the discussed loss of entertainment in the sport due to tactics:

This has less to do with football than with the coaches. Many coaches come with a philosophy and a style of play, and then the individual player becomes insignificant because everyone is forced into a tactic or a system. Of course, a coach's philosophies are important and you need him to manage the team. But I believe that the individual player is the most important part of the team. Because he goes out on the field and makes the difference. And in general, I don't think football is getting boring. In fact, I have the feeling that it continues to grow. You just have to be smart and not close yourself off to new developments. 

… about comparisons with Erling Haaland and whether a player could follow in Ibrahimovic’s footsteps:

Maybe it's the ponytail ( laughs ). I don't like comparing players because everyone is on their own journey and writing their own story. I had my era, played my way. He has his era now, plays his way. So there can't be a "new Zlatan". I did my thing, but I'm past my sell-by date. Erling Haaland is a great player and does a fantastic job. 

IFAB going ahead with the new rule for GKs after trials in Malta and Premier League 2 were proven successful. It was accepted that refs and GKs were ignoring the 6 second rule. New rule: Ref raises hand after 3 seconds, then counts down 5 more seconds. Formal change expected for 2026/27 season