Zlatan Ibrahimović: From Malmö Dream to FC 26 Cover
Stepping onto the set for the cover shoot was a profound experience for the Swedish maestro, transporting him back decades. 'It brings back memories,' Zlatan reflected. 'This was a long time ago. It makes me feel young. It makes me feel like that little boy that had this big dream to become a professional football player.' He candidly shared the pivotal role of his idol, Ronaldo (R9), in shaping his ambitions: 'I took him as an example, and I tried to copy him in every movement he did on the field. I was young, crazy, and rock and roll, just like every young kid out there.'
The set was packed with 'easter eggs' from his biggest moments, including those very posters of Ronaldo. Reflecting on seeing them now versus then, Zlatan quipped, 'At that time, I saw only Ronaldo posters in the books, but today I know Ronaldo personally, so it's a big difference.'
When asked about the legacy he's building as an icon, Zlatan emphasized authenticity: 'From day one, I have always been myself. I didn't try to change for nobody. I brought my character, I brought whoever I am, wherever I went.'
From his humble beginnings in Malmö to gracing the global stage, his journey serves as a powerful inspiration. As he puts it, 'I'm a living proof that you can make it even if you come from different kinds of circumstances. And I came from nothing and I made it. So, it's a whole package. That's what I come to stand for.'
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'It was pretty groundbreaking at the time,' he said. 'No one had ever done an unvarnished, unfiltered follow doc about a celebrity before.' Mr. Riegg then moved over to ABC, where he was responsible for 'Dancing With the Stars' and 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.' In 2010, he jumped to NBC, overseeing 'Biggest Loser,' 'American Ninja Warrior' and 'America's Got Talent.' He spent his summers in New York during Howard Stern's time on the talent competition show, serving as the shock jock's main point of contact with the network. 'He showed great success at dealing with talent, and I think that's when he got the confidence,' said Alan Braun, the head of unscripted television at Creative Artists Agency. 'That was a big job for him because that is such an important franchise at NBC.' Bela Bajaria, then the head of global television for Netflix and now its chief content officer, hired him in 2016, at a time when the streaming giant was just dipping its toe into unscripted content. Mr. Riegg was given pretty much free rein. 'It was like I showed up at the Netflix mansion and Ted walked me down the hallway, opened a door into a totally empty room and said, 'Here you go,'' Mr. Riegg said, referring to Mr. Sarandos. 'That is exhilarating to hear, but also terrifying.' Lightning in a Bottle? At Netflix, the first show Mr. Riegg released was a reboot of 'Queer Eye,' now completing its 10th and final season. He also debuted two successful cooking shows: 'Nailed It' and 'Sugar Rush,' proving that a variety of unscripted content can succeed on the service. 'They all blew way past any projection of what any unscripted show could do,' he said. But the biggest gamble he ever took, he said, was starting a reality show spinoff of the Korean drama 'Squid Game,' a global phenomenon and the company's most popular series ever. No entertainment company had successfully created a reality show based on one of its scripted shows. If his show failed, it could mar one of Netflix's crown jewels. But if he got it right, the show could possibly open up a new world of reality programming. 'This is either going to destroy both our careers or it's going to be a huge success,' Stephen Lambert, the producer of the reality show, 'Squid Game: The Challenge,' recalls Mr. Riegg telling him. The show wound up costing $40 million, one of the most expensive reality television shows ever. But viewers showed up in droves to watch 456 contestants play for $4.56 million. And it generated renewed interest in the scripted 'Squid Game' ahead of its next season. Season 2 of the competition series will debut in November, and a third season has already been ordered. Netflix will try to replicate that success with two upcoming shows: 'Monopoly,' and 'Willy Wonka: The Golden Ticket.' 'I don't know if we got lightning in a bottle, or if we actually cracked a little bit of the code,' Mr. Riegg said. 'Time will tell.' Avoiding a 'Westside' A common refrain inside Netflix is, 'If you're not failing, you're not trying.' Mr. Riegg's biggest failure in his nine-year tenure, the show 'Westside,' has become something of an urban legend within the company. The show, released in 2018, tracked the lives of nine struggling musicians in Los Angeles. Mr. Riegg describes it as 'The Hills' meets 'Cop Rock,' with each contestant breaking into song when their emotions overtake them. The show attracted so few viewers that Mr. Riegg initially thought it wasn't appearing on the service. He spent hours on the phone with the product team questioning the company's technology. That wasn't the problem. Mr. Hastings sent Mr. Riegg and his team the meager viewership figures with a note that simply read, 'Ouch!' Today the show's name is shorthand for a flop. Mr. Riegg said Mr. Sarandos, the company's co-chief executive, often quips: 'At least it's not a 'Westside.' ' No one thinks that Mr. Riegg's deals for live programming will result in another 'Westside.' But the stakes, and dollars involved, are much higher — particularly as the company weighs how deeply to invest in sports rights. Mr. Riegg insists it is a necessary risk for Netflix to add a robust new aspect to Netflix's programming with spectacles that bring viewers together en masse. Though he says he still isn't convinced that acquiring an entire season of a sports league is the way to go for the company. He considered the Taylor-Serrano fight, for example, to be a 'no-brainer.' Boxing had proved to be a sport Netflix viewers would tune into. The two women had fought as part of the undercard the night of Tyson-Paul match, with their bout becoming one of the most-talked about moments of the evening. Viewership of their recent rematch — yet another victory for Ms. Taylor — did not come close to the Tyson-Paul event, attracting 6 million at its peak. But Mr. Riegg suggested that the figure was encouraging. Now he's searching for ways to best the 'high-water mark' of Tyson-Paul. 'The competitive part of me would love to top that,' he said. 'The realist in me thinks something will beat it. I don't know what it will be and I don't know how quickly it will be.' But, he insists, he will keep looking. Read by Nicole Sperling Audio produced by Sarah Diamond.
