Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the "darling" of Swedish football. Perceived by fans and media alike to be the country's best player, he has even been described as their most exciting talent ever.

Since his arrival on the international scene, the tall striker has carried the hopes of a nation which has established itself as one of Europe's most consistent sides in recent years.

Success with Serie A's Inter Milan over the last two seasons has further boosted his profile, and the player has become renowned for his strength, vision and ability to outwit defenders.

He is not low on confidence either and has been known to answer questions with remarks such as "There's only one Zlatan" and "I'm great".

That confidence has sometimes been portrayed as arrogance though, and the press almost relish highlighting another side to the forward - one of a temperamental player who has let instances of immaturity and laziness creep into his game.

There have been fewer of those incidents in the the last couple of years with fatherhood - Ibrahimovic now has two young sons - seemingly having a calming effect on him.

But having made his mark at club level, Ibrahimovic remains erratic in a Sweden shirt and will need to produce the goods at Euro 2008 if he is to silence his critics once and for all.

Ibrahimovic was born in Malmo and by the age of 14 had joined his local team. His senior debut followed in 1999 and his talent was quickly noticed with 16 goals in 40 appearances.

It was during his time with Malmo that Ibrahimovic was first called up to Sweden's senior squad and made his debut in the goalless draw against the Faroe Islands in January 2001.

That sparked further interest in the striker and in March 2001 Ibrahimovic was on his way to the Dutch Eredivisie and Ajax.

It took a while for him to break into the side in Amsterdam, but the arrival of Ronald Koeman as coach at the end of 2001 gave Ibrahimovic the chance he had been waiting for.

He did not disappoint, helping the team win two league titles, and it was no surprise when Juventus came knocking in the summer of 2004.

Another transfer was on the cards but Ibrahimovic took it in his stride and continued to bang in the goals for his new club.

It was Juve's part in the match-fixing scandal, and their subsequent relegation to Serie B in the summer of 2006, which signalled the end of his time in Turin and prompted a move to Inter.

But he has continued to enjoy success in Milan with further league titles and, despite injury setbacks, has established himself as one of Europe's top strikers with Real Madrid and Chelsea now said to be chasing his signature.

While his club profile has risen, his international career has not quite quite produced the same sparkle despite the hype surrounding the player.

Euro 2008 will be his fourth appearance in a finals tournament following Sweden's qualification for the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, and the European Championships four years ago.

But his appearances at the highest level have generally ended in disappointment, leading to accusations of laziness and petulance.

One such example was the public fall-out with national coach Lars Lagerback during the Euro 2008 qualifiers, when Ibrahimovic decided to boycott the national team.

He was one of three players - along with Olof Mellberg and Christian Wilhelmsson - sent home by the coach before the match with Liechtenstein in September 2006 for breaking a curfew.

While Mellberg and Wilhelmsson quickly returned to the national set-up, Ibrahimovic was furious with the punishment and refused to play in their next two qualifiers against Spain and Iceland.

His presence did not appear to be missed as the team won both matches, but the feud with Lagerback was finally ended in March last year before the meeting with Northern Ireland.

However, it set a tone for the rest of the campaign and Ibrahimovic failed to find the net in any of his seven qualifiers.

That has done little to appease the critics, although Lagerback does not disguise his admiration for the player.

"I would rate Zlatan as one of the best players in the world," he said. "He is certainly among the best centre-forwards in the world.

"It's questionable whether we've had such a talented player ever in Sweden. He can do things we have never seen Swedish players do before."

Ibrahimovic does not seem to mind the controversy which surrounds him every time he puts on a Sweden shirt.

"I'm much better today than I was three or four years ago," he said. "I always want more. I'm that kind of a person. The day I don't feel that any more will be the day I quit football.

"I really don't care about my critics. I let my feet do the talking."

Those feet will need to talk if Sweden are to make their presence felt in Austria and Switzerland.

With matches against Spain, Greece and Russia in the group stages, Ibrahimovic will have to be at his goalscoring best.

Having proven himself at club level, it is time for him to show his ability in a national shirt, so would the real Zlatan please stand up?