There's a story from Zlatan Ibrahimovic's childhood that goes a long way toward explaining how a skinny, awkward boy would go on to become one of the best soccer players of his generation.
Ibrahimovic grew up poor, one of five children living in a dangerous housing project in the center of Malmo, Sweden's third-largest city. He spoke with a lisp, was self-conscious about his big nose and admits he went to school mainly for the free lunches.
When the school hired a special teacher to work with him, the added humiliation was more than he could bear.