The Swede applauded the midfielder’s conditions when they shared a dressing room at LA Galaxy
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has repeatedly praised Efraín Álvarez, which is the main novelty of the list that Gerardo Martino presented for the tournament that the Mexican national team will have in Europe. The Swede became a mentor to the 18-year-old from Galaxy, emphasizing his mental and football qualities, calling him the greatest promise of MLS.
Ibrahimovic arrived at the Los Angeles team for the 2018 season, the same one in which Álvarez began to be considered for the first team of the Californians, but his debut was presented until 2019, in which he shared the court eleven times with the Swede, in which he participated twice.
“For me, he knows about football. There are players who play football and players who think about football. (Álvarez) is a player who thinks about football and they are the best because the boy who plays, trains to play, those who think they are made to play, is the difference “, said the European in July 2019.
“The last game I said (Álvarez) is ready. You just have to have more minutes, because that’s what you need now. He trains with us, he dominates in training “.
Although they started to coincide on the field in the 2019 season, Zlatan revealed that in 2018, he advised Álvarez so that he could physically reach the pretezon.
“(At the end) last year, I didn’t say anything to him, I just said, ‘You need to lose five pounds before you come back.’ That is the only thing. And he came back after he lost that and he was a totally different player. “
In an interview for ESPN In September 2019, Álvarez revealed what his relationship was like with Ibrahimovic, who was always aware of the current player of the Mexican national team, because he sees him as a potential to succeed in football.
“From the first day I met him, he always wanted to help me. I met him and he started giving me advice and once you started listening to his advice, you want to learn from him. He knows what is needed. “
“He even told me, ‘If you need help, I’ll help you.’ I just want the best for you. I know the potential you have, so I will help you, I will not hurt you or I will not hurt you. In the case of other players, I will kill them, but with you I see potential, that’s why I will try to help you “.