The Swedish soccer star talks to Wm. Ferguson about growing up an outsider in Sweden, the motivational power of anger and missing the World Cup — despite being the best.



You’ve had an incredibly successful run in professional soccer. Since 2004, every team that you have played for has finished at the top of its league each year except one — Milan in 2012. I was disappointed, but that year I was actually the top scorer. But that was not enough, because I wanted to win the competition and I didn’t.

Would you attribute any of your success to just being very lucky? I don’t think so. Because if it is luck, maybe you would win one, two, maximum three. But I have 11 championships in six different clubs and four different nations.

I was kidding. It seems that you are often moving away from teams when they are at their peak. Why? I think I am difficult to satisfy, because when I win something, I’m already thinking about the next step, and that is maybe a problem for me. I’m not enjoying the moment. I’m already on the mission to win the next trophy.