Zlatan Ibrahimovic gives Howard Webb a piece of his mind

One of the themes we stressed covering Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s mental masterclass vs. LAFC was his engagement.

“There are many in the Soccer Twittersphere who believe Ibra is too good for MLS, too decorated of a player to lower himself to the day-to-day rigors of a league still maturing...Contrary to popular opinion, the big Swede is paying closer attention than you might think.”

The LA Galaxy striker may irritate opponents with his antics but don’t be fooled, Zlatan is acutely aware of his surroundings.

We saw this scenario play out Tuesday in Orlando at Experia Stadium, site of Wednesday’s 2019 MLS All-Star game. With most of the players training in anticipation of the match vs. Atletico Madrid, Zlatan strolled around the stadium in warmups before a brief confrontation with Howard Webb, general manager of the Professional Referee Organization (PRO).

In the clip, Ibrahimovic sarcastically claps and praises the refereeing before Webb strolls over and the two have a chat.

Sure Ibra could have been nicer about it, but it’s refreshing to watch someone who’s almost above the league’s authority genuinely advocate for better refereeing.

Isn’t that what we all want?