Ibrahimovic goes viral as Fox Sports World Cup pundit, humour, barbs and blunt verdicts drive boom | OneFootball

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a first-time World Cup pundit, has become Fox Sports’ viral centrepiece, his clips racing towards 10 billion views. According to L'Équipe, Fox logged eight billion in under a month, and Ibrahimovic posted they were almost there.

Fox’s rights are US only, yet it shares studio clips globally without match footage, and Ibrahimovic’s punchy analysis travels.

Laurent Salvaudon says his appeal spans blunt truths, playful needling and humour suited to US entertainment, while Michel Denisot hails his sharpness and rare self-deprecation.

After Portugal beat Croatia 2-1, he argued Cristiano Ronaldo had lost touch and speed and now operated largely in the box, calling selection nostalgia driven. He offset that with praise for Lionel Messi after Argentina turned 0-2 into 3-2 against Egypt in the final 10 minutes.

Olivier Dacourt, his former Inter team-mate, sees the ambiguity as part of the act and says the barbs can be sincere. Fox leans into his chemistry with Thierry Henry, including backstage clips, while Alexis Lalas often plays the foil.

His pay is undisclosed, but he joked about a raise after being named employee of the month, then styled himself new CEO in a studio skit set to Darth Vader’s music. Dacourt doubts he would do this for a full season, seeing a short contract as licence to cut loose, and in Italy, where he advises Milan, the reception is cooler.

Source: L'Équipe