Juventus striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is not a man who is easily overawed, but he admits the idea of taking to the field at Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium on Tuesday night sends a shiver down his Swedish spine.

Often accused of being arrogant, Ibrahimovic has taken to the surrounds of Italy's Serie A after several seasons of impressive goalscoring feats with Ajax in Holland.

His self-confidence means he will not feel as if he has a point to prove against Beckham, Zidane and the rest in this clash of the European titans, but many an eye will cast a critical judgement of the performance this �11million striker delivers.

A prolific scorer with his national team, Ibrahimovic is convinced his finest hour is about to come in a Juventus shirt and where better than the Bernabeu to prove he is a world beater.

'Playing against Real Madrid is a dream tie and with all respect, I'd rather meet them than Monaco, Leverkusen or Porto, even though they are the reigning champions,' begins the ever-bullish target man. 'As a professional you always want to match yourself against the best and Real come into that category.

'A few years ago, it would have been hard to imagine myself on the same pitch as Zidane, Figo, Ronaldo and all their other stars. Now it's a reality and I can't wait.

'If it hadn't been Real, I would have loved to be on the same pitch as Barcelona and Ronaldinho. He does it all. He scores, he makes chances and throughout a game he plays an important role for Barca. He plays the sort of instinctive football I love.'

Ibrahimovic will be in the minority when he claims to be pleased with a draw against the nine-time European Champions, but such is the confidence of this young man that he will genuinely relish the two games that lie in wait.

The fact that he is playing at Juventus is proof that he is a player boasting plenty of ability, but the jury remains hung on whether he can move on to the next level.

As Mateja Kezman has proved at Chelsea this season, converting goals from the Dutch league on to a more demanding stage is no easy task, but Ibrahimovic has started well in his new league and is unconcerned by those who doubt his ability to make the step up.

'Although I only moved from Ajax to Juve in the summer, I feel as if I'm already a better player,' he continues. 'In the Dutch League you can get by with good technique alone. In Italy it's completely different.

'It's physically tougher and you have be on top of your game from the first to the last minute. There are no easy games in Serie A and that makes you harder as a professional.

'Thanks to Fabio Capello and the other members of the Juve coaching staff, I've learnt something new every day. When you go to a new club, it's vital to feel wanted, to have the trust of the coach. That's what I have with Capello.

'In a few months at Juve, I have learned more than I would have done at Ajax, so it has been the right move for my career.'

Scoring on his Serie A debut against Brescia provided Ibrahimovic with the ideal platform to launch his career in Italian football and he has followed it up with important strikes against the likes of Inter, Lazio, Parma and, most recently Udinese.

With Frenchman David Trezeguet injured for a lengthy period, Ibrahimovic emerged as a key man in Capello's title challenge and for a young man in his first season at a major Italian club, he can be proud of his efforts to date. Now comes the section of the season where he can turn promise into tangible success and he is relishing the task.

Reigning European champions Porto put a lie to the idea that so-called smaller sides cannot scale the heights in the Champions League, but Ibrahimovic suggests he has a more realistic chance of landing the ultimate prize in the game while wearing the famous black and white stripes of Juventus.

'We know just how much the Champions League means to a club like Real,' he says. 'They like to think it's their competition and for Juve it's the same. This is going to be a great showdown between two massive clubs and obviously we're in for two intense games. It's going to be about desire, concentration and who takes their chances.

'Juve is a club for winners. We genuinely believe we are going to win both the Serie A title and the Champions League this season. We realise it's not ours for the taking, that it requires a lot of effort and determination. It's the mentality of Juventus and our coach Fabio Capello. All the ingredients for success are here.

'There are world-class players in all parts of the field at Juve. I especially enjoy playing with Pavel Nedved. He's phenomenal. He has the energy, the technique, the grit, the vision. He's always there to help and brings the best out of me.

'We've stored away a great deal of confidence from the group stage of the Champions League. We beat Bayern Munich twice, only let in one goal in six games and most importantly, we remained unbeaten. Knockout ties are of course different, but we know what it takes to win.

'I enjoyed my time in Holland, but there is more chances to win a competition like this at a club like Juventus. We had many great young players at Ajax, but they are learning and here we have established world-class players. That's the difference.'

A couple of goals against Real Madrid will push Zlatan Ibrahimovic a step closer to becoming the legend he believes he will be.

Article dated: 20.02.05. Words by Nick Bidwell.
Courtesy of ESPN Soccernet. Original article location.