Ibrahimovic criticism spreads to the USA: ‘Less Zlatan, less Lalas’

Zlatan Ibrahimovic faced backlash from large sections of Milan supporters for taking on a TV punditry role in the United States for the 2026 World Cup at a time when the Rossoneri are desperately lacking in leadership, and now the Rossoneri advisor is facing criticism for the quality of his analysis work: ‘Less Zlatan, less Lalas’.

Ibrahimovic is currently serving as a senior advisor to RedBird, the investment management firm that owns Milan. The former Juventus, Inter and Milan striker is not employed by the Rossoneri directly, but there has often been confusion as to the extent of his powers in Rossoneri circles.

Eyebrows were raised when it was announced that Ibrahimovic would be joining the Fox Sports punditry team for the duration of the 2026 World Cup, especially given that Milan were without a head coach for several weeks - Ruben Amorim only appointed on Tuesday - while the Rossoneri remain without a sporting director, technical director or CEO less than a fortnight before the summer transfer window formally opens.

Not only did Ibrahimovic face backlash for his decision to take on the Fox Sports gig at such an unstable time in San Siro, but he is now facing criticism for the quality of his punditry work as well.

The Athletic have published an article lambasting the ‘awkward’ on-screen dynamic between Ibrahimovic and former USMNT defender Alexi Lalas, claiming that Fox’s flagship football - or ‘soccer’ - show would be ‘better’ with “less Zlatan, less Lalas.”

The Athletic criticised Ibrahimovic for his lack of knowledge, claiming that the Swede had ‘never heard’ of Canada’s American head coach Jesse Marsch while analysing a Canada match in front of a US-audience.

Ibrahimovic was also criticised for leaning too much into over-confidence ‘shtick’, especially compared to the considerably more palatable Thierry Henry.

The Athletic’s advice is for Fox to utilise Zlatan’s insight into goalscoring and on-pitch intelligence, and for there to be much less coverage given to Lalas as a whole.