Fabio Capello reveals he tried to sign Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Roma, then changed him at Juventus. “The goal was not in his DNA.”

The former England and Russia manager sat down with Mediaset Premium to discuss his rapport with the Swede.

“I saw Ibra for the first time when I was the Coach of Roma and realised he had great technique,” explained Capello.

Fabio Capello reveals he tried to sign Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Roma, then changed him at Juventus. “The goal was not in his DNA.”

The former England and Russia manager sat down with Mediaset Premium to discuss his rapport with the Swede.

“I saw Ibra for the first time when I was the Coach of Roma and realised he had great technique,” explained Capello.

“I had wanted to sign him at Roma, but we were packed upfront with the likes of Gabriel Batistuta, Francesco Totti, Vincenzo Montella, Marco Delvecchio and Antonio Cassano, so we didn’t go for him.

“When I went to Juventus, I asked the club to sign him, as I’d never seen a player with his physical strength and technical qualities too.

“After a month at Juve, I noticed he was not kicking the ball very well and wasn’t good in the air. He is a very proud guy and worked every day to improve himself. He stayed behind after training sessions for extra target practice.

“At the time, the goal was not in his DNA, as he had more fun providing assists. He followed my advice to be more determined in front of goal and turned into a real hitman.

“He is humble, but also really likes being Number One.”

There is a long-standing story that Capello transformed Ibrahimovic by showing him Marco van Basten videos.

“It’s absolutely true. After two months that he was at Juve, I told him that technically he had the same qualities as Van Basten and showed him the movements in the box that the Dutchman made.

“He understood what was needed and I think the results are there for all to see.”

Ibrahimovic is known to be a rather difficult character and hasn’t entirely settled in at Manchester United. How did Capello deal with players of such strong personality?

“You have to make them realise that certain things must be done to achieve results and help the team. Ibra has always been a joker who enjoyed tricks and flicks just for the sake of doing them.”

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