Zlatan Ibrahimovic responds to viral campaign urging him to attend World Cup

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the subject of a viral campaign trying to get him to attend the World Cup in Brazil. (AFP/Getty Images)

Swedish and PSG superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic spoke 1-on-1 with SI.com on Thursday ahead of the U.S. publication of his terrific memoir, I Am Zlatan Ibrahimovic, on June 3. Ibra is probably the world’s best player who won’t be competing in the upcoming World Cup — Sweden went out in a UEFA qualifying playoff to Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal — and after his nation's elimination he claimed that "a World Cup without me is nothing to watch."

He laughed when asked about the viral campaign in Brazil (#VemIbra) that is trying to lure him to visit Brazil during the tournament anyway.

“Let’s see,” Ibrahimovic told SI.com. “It will be a surprise, because they are convincing me, but still I am thinking. It was a nice campaign they did. It was fantastic with the people involved: Big athletes from Anderson Silva to Ronaldo to Dani Alves and others. So I was very happy when I saw it, and it motivated me a lot.”

“You never know,” he continued. “It’s like football. Maybe I do the unpredictable and I show up.”

Look for the rest of Ibra’s revealing interview with SI.com in early June.