No surprise Ibra lit up Wembley

Some people just can’t help it.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic should be dropping down a league or two as he approaches his 35th birthday, but when he was born in Sweden all those years ago he inherited some sort of showbiz gene. So of course he signed for Manchester United when Paris got dull.

Of course he announced that he would be a God there. Of course he scored the winning goal in his first competitive match. Of course it was at Wembley. Of course the word is that his pre-signing fitness tests would put players 15 years younger to shame.

By Christmas it won’t rain in Manchester anymore. Not unless Zlatan needs it to rain. How will he be on a wet, cold Tuesday night at Stoke? I’d say they won’t need floodlights, he’ll be so luminous.

Yesterday at Wembley was like years ago when the circus would come around and there would always be a bit of fuss beforehand. Some clowns or some lions or an elephant. Anything to get people into the big tent. Everything is set up nicely for the big show which begins next week.

Leicester came down to London yesterday as champions, but they represent something a bit old fashioned and likeable. Claudio Ranieri isn’t a flash Harry sort of manager. Paparazzi don’t flock after him. Leicester as champions have spent some money quietly and sensibly.

Jose Mourinho is at the other end of the scale. A one-man soap opera. On the day he unleashes Zlatan on Wembley, the Manchester United of Mourinho also announced the soon-to-be-completed signing of Paul Pogba with the social media hashtag POGBACK. It’s as if he has just been out on loan to sharpen up. The league needs Man United to be like that. Giant-sized Goliath showmen that every David wants to take out with a pebble from his catapult.

Before Zlatan put an end to the thought yesterday, it looked like the game was heading to a draw and straight to penalties. No extra time was scheduled. There was a sentimental part of me that hoped we would at least have penalties.

I was seven (and a half) years old when the 1974 Charity Shield game was played at Wembley between Leeds United and Liverpool. I had never seen anything like it. Back then men were men and millionaires owned clubs instead of playing for them. There was extra time. And penalties. And plenty of other drama. It was one …

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