Zlatan Ibrahimović wins Employee of the Month after bullying colleague for 2 weeks

If anyone has earned the right to opine on world-class soccer with confidence, it’s Zlatan Ibrahimović.

This is exactly what the legendary former striker has done for the entire men’s World Cup so far for Fox Sports. Ibrahimović has been a revelation, adding welcome charm and insight to make for quality studio coverage during the biggest tournament in sports. At the same time, Ibrahimović has delighted in bullying and diminishing his brash colleague, Alexi Lalas, on live television seemingly every chance he gets.

That’s what makes Fox Sports naming Ibrahimović their Employee of the Month for June so amusing. Ibrahimović has been so charming and so good with his analysis that no one cares about his approach with Lalas. If anything, it almost seems like a tacit endorsement of his insults of Lalas:

Let this lesson be a lesson to all of you, dear readers. You can punk one of your coworkers on national television if said coworker is a jerk, and you’re exceptional at your actual job. Ibrahimović’s conduct over the last few weeks is proof in the pudding.