FCBARCELONA.CAT

28.07.2009 12:04

Piqué: “Ibrahimovic is the player for Barça”

Berta Brau

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Piqué was full of praise for his new team-mate: “It’s a delight to watch him play”. He affirmed that Barça start the season as favourites but admitted the players would have to keep their feet on the ground.

After last night’s exciting presentation of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, it was no surprise that Tuesday morning’s press conference was focussed on the Swedish striker. Gerard Piqué described him as a great player and ideal for Barça: “I consider him as one of the most complete players around at the moment. He’s physically strong, has great technique and is very good in the air. It’s a delight to watch him play. I believe he’s a player for Barça”.

Ibrahimovic meets his team-mates

The Catalan centre back described the first contact between Ibrahimovic and the rest of the squad this morning: “As is normal, he arrived with a tremendous desire to meet everyone. It was a brief visit as he had to go to the hospital for an operation but I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time to talk during the tour”.

A difficult player to mark

Drawing on his specialized knowledge as a centre back, Piqué explained that marking a player like Ibrahimovic is a difficult job: “Players like him are very strong and protect the ball well”. He went on to say that the task was even harder in Zlatan’s case because of his great skill.

Favourites with their feet on the ground

Gerard Piqué believes Barça must start as favourites in the new season as they are reigning champions in all three competitions. However, he admitted: “Teams such as Real Madrid, who have spent a lot in the transfer market, can also be considered to be among the favourites. We have to keep our feet on the ground as it will be a long hard season”.