Ibrahimovic discusses relationship with Tonali and need for help with gambling
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has weighed in on the ongoing betting scandal within the world of Italian football, insisting that his former teammate Sandro Tonali needs help if he is truly struggling with gambling, as it is ‘like a drug’.
The Swede, who called it a day on his playing career at the end of the 2022-23 season, had nothing but positive things to say about his former teammate, who also left Milan this summer.
Ibrahimovic was speaking at the Festival dello Sport event in Trento on Sunday afternoon, where he was asked during a Q&A whether he had noticed anything suspicious while playing alongside Tonali.
Instead, Ibrahimovic gave a glowing character reference, while insisting that he had been unaware that there had been an issue at the time.
“When he landed at Milan, Tonali had arrived from Brescia and had just realised his dream,” Tinali told listeners, reported via TMW. “In the first year he was too much of a fan, I told him that this wasn’t good. He had to take a further step and be decisive to make the fans happy.
“You could see straight away that he was strong, but playing for Brescia with all due respect is not like playing for Milan. More pressure, different mentality , other objectives.
“At Milan, if you lose, I’m the first to come and tell you, then the coach, the club and the fans. It’s clear that you need time to grow, just as your teammates must help. Football is always one collective sport, not individual.”
Tonali, alongside international teammate Nicolo Zaniolo, was questioned and cautioned by police at Coverciano on Thursday, before later withdrawing from Luciano Spalletti’s squad.
Ibrahimovic was asked whether it had hurt him to see his friend go through such an ordeal, to which he replied: “I know very little about the story, I had never noticed anything strange about him, but you should not judge before you know all the details.
“If he is struggling with gambling, you have to help him, because it is really like a drug. I, too, have played at the casino before, because everyone is free to do what they want with their own money, but you have to understand the situation.”
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