Time for King Zlatan to rise to the occasion

ZLATAN Ibrahimovic, the lanky striker from Sweden, was asked at a press conference last weekend if, at the age of 34, he could finally stamp his mark on a major international football tournament.

The talented player, known for having one of the biggest egos in the sport, responded in his usual hyper- confident manner: "I have been dominating wherever I go. I have no issue about that. The legend can still deliver."

A bold claim indeed, but it's hard to expect anything else from someone who, upon playing his final match for French club Paris Saint- Germain (PSG) in May, declared that he "came like a king, left like a legend".

It's that word "legend" again. When it comes to club football, Ibrahimovic's status as a hero is firmly enshrined in all the teams he's played for: Malmo, Ajax Amsterdam, Juventus, Inter-Milan, Barcelona, AC Milan, and PSG.

He will officially leave PSG on June 30 - the day his contract expires - as the club's all-time record goalscorer and having won 12 trophies. If the rumour mill is to be believed, he is due to join Manchester United in early July, where the prospect of even more trophies awaits.

But he has never tasted glory at the international level; not even close, in fact. With Ibrahimovic in the squad, Sweden's last appearance at the European Championship in 2012 ended in disaster as they bowed out at the first hurdle.

They also failed to qualify for the last World Cup in Brazil two years ago after losing to bitter rivals Portugal in a two-legged playoff.

Euro 2016 in France is likely to be the final chance for Ibrahimovic to shine on the global stage, and he is well aware that Friday night's match against Italy is one that falls into the "must win" category.

Sweden have long tried to shake off the unwanted tag that they are a purely one-man show. It's a tall order, especially as Ibrahimovic is the country's all-time leading scorer - 62 goals in 112 appearances since his debut in 2001 - and a man blessed with the ability to produce magic on the pitch. Like it or not, he is his team's go-to guy. He has that natural ability to score and create goals by the bucketful. Of Sweden's 19 goals in qualifying for Euro 2016, he bagged a remarkable 11, including three in their playoff win against Denmark.

The Swedes would probably have lost their opening game in Paris on Monday against the Republic of Ireland if not for Ibrahimovic's second- half contribution.

The frontman, anonymous for most of the match, dug deep into his bag of tricks and sent in a teasing cross from the left that led to Irish defender Ciaran Clark heading the ball into his own net.

That levelled the score at 1-1, and both sides left the French capital with a single point. It wasn't the result that Sweden would have liked, but they were thankful not to lose in the end after a sub-par performance.

How Sweden would love it if their talisman can score one, two or even more against Italy, owner of one of the stingiest defences in European football.

The Azzurri (Italy's nickname) will remember the last time Ibrahimovic scored against them: a dazzling back-heeled volley in 2004, the match ending in a 1-1 draw.

Italy got off to the best possible start in this year's tournament with a classy 2-0 victory over Belgium. They are fast living up to their billing as one of the favourites for the trophy, and they are powerful in attack and watertight at the back.

No matter what happens at Euro 2016, Ibrahimovic will go down in the history books as arguably the most successful player to ever don Sweden's famous yellow jersey. For now, Sweden desperately need their charismatic captain to display all his goalscoring prowess to breathe fresh life into their flagging campaign.