FIRST MATCH HERE IN L.A., OUR

NEXT GUEST GOT THIS CITY

INTERESTED IN MAJOR LEAGUE

SOCCER AND MAN-BUNS BEGAN.

FROM THE L.A. GALAXY, PLEASE

WELCOME ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC!

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]

♪

>> Jimmy: WOW.

FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR

COMING.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Jimmy: IT'S GREAT TO HAVE YOU

HERE.

WHEN YOU FIRST GOT HERE, IT'S

LIKE, OH, WE'VE GOT TO HAVE THIS

GUY ON THE SHOW.

THEN I SAW -- I WAS LOOKING IN

THE L.A. TIME ASKS YOU TOOK OUT

AN ADVERTISEMENT --

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]

A LOT OF ATHLETES WILL TAKE OUT

A FULL-PAGE AD, USUALLY WHEN

THEY LEAVE, THEY THANK THE CITY

FOR EVERYTHING.

BUT YOU TOOK ONE OUT AS YOU GOT

STARTED.

AND IT SAYS, DEAR LOS ANGELES,

YOU'RE WELCOME.

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]

SO ON BEHALF OF ALL OF US, THANK

YOU.

>> NO, I MEAN -- IT HAS BEEN A

COUPLE OF YEARS, I'VE HAD

ADMIRERS IN LOS ANGELES, I

WANTED TO GIVE THEM A GIFT.

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]

AND IT WAS YOU.

I WAS THINKING A LONG TIME.

AND THEN ONE DAY IT CAME, LIKE I

SHOULD GIVE MYSELF.

[ LAUGHTER ]

THAT'S WHY I CAME OUT.

YOU'RE WELCOME.

>> Jimmy: YOU'RE FROM SWEDEN.

>> YES.

>> Jimmy: OBVIOUSLY.

YOU DON'T, AND MAYBE THIS IS A

WEIRD PRECONCEIVED NOTION, YOU

DON'T STRIKE ME AS

QUINTESSENTIALLY SWEDISH.

I KNOW YOU ARE SWEDISH.

BUT SWEDES ARE NOT BRAGGADOCIOS

IN GENERAL, YES?

>> THEY'RE TOO NICE.

I'M NOT SO NICE LIKE THAT.

>> Jimmy: IS THAT WHY YOU WERE

ASKED TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY?

[ LAUGHTER ]

>> NO, NO, NO.

I MEAN, I'M NOT THE TYPICAL

SWEDISH GUY, BUT I PUT SWEDEN ON

THE MAP, SO.

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]

>> Jimmy: YOU HAVE A LOT OF

NICKNAMES.

I WAS READING THROUGH A BUNCH OF

YOUR NICKNAMES.

WHICH ONE DO YOU LIKE?

IS THERE ONE THAT YOU REALLY

FEEL STRONGLY ABOUT?

>> MY NAME IN THE LANGUAGE MEANS

"GOLD."

SO I WOULD PREFER THAT.

BUT I KNOW PEOPLE HAVE

DIFFICULTIES TO PRONOUNCE IT AND

THAT.

SO THEN SOMEBODY WAS LIKE, IBRA,

IBLA, PEOPLE CALLED ME IBRA.

>> Jimmy: THAT'S NOT A GREAT

NAME.

>> NOW IT'S THE LION.

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]

>> Jimmy: LION IS GOOD.

SNOOP DOGG ALREADY HAS LION, I

THINK.

YOU HAVE TO CONSIDER WHAT'S

TAKEN AND WHAT ISN'T, YOU COULD

GET SUED, WHO KNOWS WHAT COULD

HAPPEN HERE.

I HAVE A NICKNAME IDEA FOR YOU.

I WANT TO RUN IT BY YOU.

THE SWEDISH FISH.

[ LAUGHTER ]

EVERYONE LOVES SWEDISH FISH

HERE.

I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE AWARE OF

THIS.

BACK HOME YOU PROBABLY JUST CALL

THEM FISH.

BUT HERE WE CALL THEM THOSE

LITTLE REDFISH AND PEOPLE ARE

LIKE, OH, YES, WE LOVE THEM SO

MUCH.

>> I LIKE SOMETHING MORE

POWERFUL.

>> Jimmy: MORE POWERFUL?

>> YEAH, YEAH.

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]

>> Jimmy: THERE'S NOT ANYTHING

MORE POWERFUL THAN THE SWEDISH

FISH.

I'LL COME UP WITH SOMETHING ELSE

FOR YOU.

>> MAKE SOMETHING ELSE.

>> Jimmy: SO YOUR FIRST GAME YOU

SCORE A GOAL.

IT WAS AN AMAZING -- I MEAN, A

LONG --

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]

A LONG, POWERFUL, THRILLING

GOAL.

BEFORE YOU GO OUT ON THE FIELD,

DO YOU HAVE IN YOUR HEAD, I AM

GOING TO SCORE IN MY FIRST GAME?

>> I MEAN, I HAD A VISION BEFORE

I COME.

I SAID, WHEN I COME, I KNOW

THERE IS SOME EARTHQUAKES IN LOS

ANGELES, BUT THIS ONE WAS ME

STEPPING IN LOS ANGELES.

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]

I WANTED TO PUT THE -- I WANTED

TO MAKE A STATEMENT.

I WANTED TO MAKE A STATEMENT,

AND I MEAN, EVERY MOVIE HAS A

GOOD START, YEAH?

>> Jimmy: HAVE YOU BEEN

SURPRISED BY -- NO, MOST MOVIES

ARE TERRIBLE.

[ LAUGHTER ]

>> NOT THIS ONE.

>> Jimmy: NOT THIS ONE.

HAVE YOU BEEN SURPRISED -- BY

THE WAY, YOU'VE SCORED IN YOUR

FIRST GAME WITH ALMOST EVERY

TEAM YOU'VE BEEN WITH, WHICH IS

A CRAZY STATISTIC.

>> NOT LIKE THIS.

THIS ONE WAS SPECIAL FOR LOS

ANGELES.

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]

>> Jimmy: HAVE YOU BEEN

SURPRISED BY THIS REACTION, AND

NOT JUST HERE IN LOS ANGELES,

BUT I KNOW LIKE YOU WENT TO

CHICAGO AND IT WAS CRAZY.

LIKE YOU BARELY WERE ABLE TO GET

OUT OF THE AIRPORT.

DOES THAT SURPRISE YOU?

DID YOU EXPECT THIS IN THE

UNITED STATES?

>> I MEAN, IN EUROPE THE

FOOTBALL IS HUGE.

>> Jimmy: RIGHT.

>> IT'S BIG.

SO WHEREVER I WENT, I MEAN,

PEOPLE, THEY GET CRAZY AND THAT.

PEOPLE TOLD ME, WHEN YOU COME TO

LOS ANGELES, DON'T WORRY, YOU

CAN WALK ON THE STREETS AND

THAT.

BUT SINCE DAY ONE --

>> Jimmy: NO, YEAH.

>> IT'S EVERYWHERE.

IT IS MY OWN FAULT.

IF YOU PLAY THE WAY I DO, I

MEAN --

[ LAUGHTER ]

>> Jimmy: DO YOU PLAY OTHER

SPORTS?

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU COULD HAVE

BEEN A PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE

PLAYING BASKETBALL OR ANYTHING.

>> I THINK MY OFFICE IS WHAT

PEOPLE HAVE NOTICED, IS VERY

HIGH.

>> Jimmy: YEAH, I NOTICED THAT.

[ LAUGHTER ]

>> MY MENTAL QUALITY IS

BULLET-PROOF.

WHATEVER I WOULD DO, I WOULD BE

THE ONE I AM TODAY.

SO I'M JUST -- I CHOSE FOOTBALL.

AND I'M SORRY FOR THAT OFFE-- FO

THE FANS CHEERING FOR OTHER

SPORTS BECAUSE IT WOULD BE THE

SAME THING.

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]

>> Jimmy: DO YOU WORRY YOUR

TEAMMATES WILL FEEL IN YOUR

SHADOW, BE OFFENDED BY YOUR

CONFIDENCE AND ALL THE ATTENTION

THAT YOU GET?

>> NO, NO, NO.

I MAKE THEM SUPERSTARS JUST LIKE

I MAKE YOU.

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]

>> Jimmy: SO ANYTHING THEY

ACHIEVE, REALLY, THEY CAN CREDIT

TO YOU.

>> I'LL MAKE THEM PAY, DON'T

WORRY.

>> Jimmy: THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF

SPECULATION ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT

YOU WILL PLAY IN THE WORLD CUP.

ARE YOU GOING TO PLAY IN THE

WORLD CUP?

>> I'M GOING TO THE WORLD CUP,

YES.

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]

>> Jimmy: YOU'RE GOING TO THE

WORLD CUP.

WHAT WILL YOU BE WEARING AT THE

WORLD CUP?

WILL YOU HAVE CLEATS ON THE

BOTTOM OF YOUR SHOES?

OR WILL THEY BE REGULAR SHOES?

>> I JUST SAID, I'M GOING TO THE

WORLD CUP.

IF I SAY MORE, PEOPLE WILL HANG

ME.

>> Jimmy: THEY WILL?

>> I HAVE TO BE CAREFUL.

>> Jimmy: IT SEEMS LIKE AN

EXTREME REACTION TO YOU WANTING

TO PLAY IN A SOCCER MATCH.

>> I MEAN, A WORLD CUP WITHOUT

ME WOULDN'T BE A WORLD CUP.

>> Jimmy: DO YOU LIKE IT HERE?

ARE YOU ENJOYING YOUR TIME IN

LOS ANGELES?

>> I MEAN, PEOPLE ARE VERY

KINDLY WITH ME.

YOU SEE THE AUDIENCE THERE.

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]

>> Jimmy: YEAH, RIGHT.

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]

YOU KNOW, YOU'RE NOT FROM HERE,

YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND, IT'S

VERY UNUSUAL TO GET THIS KIND OF

ENTHUSIASM FOR ANYTHING RELATED

TO SOCCER.

I MEAN, FOR THE MOST PART HERE,

SOCCER IS A GAME WE WISH OUR

KIDS DIDN'T PLAY SO WE DIDN'T

HAVE TO GO TO IT.

>> NO, NO, NO.

>> Jimmy: ON THE WEEKEND.

[ AUDIENCE BOOING ]

>> Jimmy: OH, I DON'T SEE ANY OF

YOU OUT ON THE FIELD ON SATURDAY

MORNINGS.

BUT YOU HAVE REALLY --

>> LISTEN, FIRST OF ALL, SOCCER,

FOOTBALL WE CALL IT --

>> Jimmy: WE CALL IT SOCCER, GET

USED TO IT.

[ LAUGHTER ]

>> WE CALL IT FOOTBALL.

>> Jimmy: RIGHT.

>> FOOTBALL IS THE BIGGEST SPORT

IN THE WORLD.

>> Jimmy: IT IS, YES, I KNOW.

I UNDERSTAND THAT.

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]

>> SO IMAGINE NOW WHEN YOU PLAY

FOOTBALL AND YOU'RE ON THE TOP,

HOW YOU FEEL.

>> Jimmy: THE BIGGEST SPORT,

BEING THE BEST PLAYER IN THE

BIGGEST SPORT, HAS TO BE

OBVIOUSLY THE ULTIMATE.

>> YEAH.

THAT'S WHAT I FEEL.

[ LAUGHTER ]

[ APPLAUSE ]

>> Jimmy: YOU REALLY SHOULD GIVE

TALKS TO PEOPLE.

TEACH PEOPLE TO HAVE

SELF-CONFIDENCE.

BECAUSE I REALLY -- I'M FEELING

LIKE MORE OF A MAN JUST SITTING

RIGHT NEXT TO YOU.

>> RIGHT.

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]

>> Jimmy: ALL RIGHT, SO IT'S

GREAT TO HAVE YOU HERE.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Jimmy: THE GALAXY PLAYING

ATLANTA UNITED SATURDAY.

NEW YORK RED BULLS ON APRIL 28th

HERE AT THE STUB HUB CENTER.

DO YOU WANT TO SEE ZLATAN,

ZLATAN?