Former Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimović surprised viewers during FIFA Club World Cup coverage by taking over hosting duties from FOX Sports presenter Rebecca Lowe.
At the start of the segment, Lowe joked, “Everything’s gone wrong. Zlatan decided he’s probably hosting the rest of the tournament, or at least this part.”
Zaltan Ibrahimović leaned into it with his trademark swagger: “Host? I am the host. First week I’m employee of the month, second week I’m the host. Now it’s my show.”
He then kicked off discussion on the Portugal-Colombia match, asking former France striker Thierry Henry what Portugal needed to do to win.
Wrapping up, Ibrahimović turned to Rebecca Lowe and said, “I don’t read the prompt. You take it from here.”
Lowe praised his stint: “Zlatan, well done.” He shot back, grinning, “Can you get me a cup of tea?”
Before the segment ended, he dropped another classic Zlatan line: “In a month I’ll be president of the United States.”
Zaltan Ibrahimović is known for his confidence and habit of referring to himself in the third person. But a softer side showed after Bosnia and Herzegovina’s historic win. When Bosnia beat Qatar 3-1 to reach the knockout stage for the first time, he said: “Football brings people together, especially for Bosnia. This country has suffered a lot, and seeing people happy today makes me emotional. I’ve got goosebumps because my father’s roots are from Bosnia.”
Ibrahimović’s father is Bosnian and his mother is Croatian. Both moved to Sweden before Yugoslavia broke up.
