Manchester United v Manchester City: 5 reasons Mourinho will emerge victorious

Zlatan and the power of narrative

 Zlatan Ibrahimovic does not just believe his own hype. He creates it. He repeatedly refers to himself as a lion or god. The message is clear: he is no mere mortal. Mortal or not, he is the world’s best football playing performance artist.

When Ibrahimovic arrived at Barcelona in 2009, he discovered not everyone enjoyed his act. Guardiola, in particular, was not amused. In his book, Zlatan described the atmosphere at the club like that of a school where Guardiola expected everyone  to toe the line and behave .The two, unsurprisingly, never saw eye-to-eye, and the Swede only lasted one season in Catalonia before being shipped off to Italy.

Mourinho, on the other hand, “got” Ibrahimovic’s art and was able to connect with his humanity. If Guardiola was the uptight schoolmaster who demanded absolute obedience, Mourinho was the teacher that drew out Ibra’s best with a smile and a knowing wink.

There was only ever one choice when Ibrahimovic was fielding offers two summers ago. He was always going to end up at United with Mourinho. Even after his knee injury and the end of his contract, it was no surprise when he re-signed for United. Sunday offers United’s number 10 a chance to repay his boss’ faith in him.

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While Ibrahimovic will be playing for Mourinho, one suspects playing against Guardiola on Sunday is a bigger motivator. He will be desperate to get on the pitch and score. Ibrahimovic would have you believe that it is about revenge. That may be true, but it is more likely about protecting the character he has cultivated throughout his career. And that character must score against any who doubt him.