The Paris Saint-Germain superstar was less than complimentary in his assessment of former FC Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola in a recent interview with CNN
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Zlatan Ibrahimovi has never been one to shy away from voicing his opinion, and it appears as thought he has yet to bury the hatchet with former manager Pep Guardiola, with whom he had a famous falling-out during his time at FC Barcelona.
The Sweden international has always been fond of the more aggressive, confrontational Jos Mourinho, and he remains very close with the Portuguese even though it was the current Chelsea FC boss who sold Zlatan to Barcelona from Inter Milan in 2009.
“He is not a man” – Zlatan Ibrahimovi
The PSG striker spend a tumultuous 2009-2010 season at Barcelona, scoring 16 goals but famously having a fall-out with manager Pep Guardiola towards the end of the season. The Swede has referred to the Spaniard as a ‘spineless coward’ in his autobiography, and it seems his view hasn’t changed to this day.
Alfred Nobel look away now. a I put Sweden on the map,a says @Ibra_official https://t.co/tUGdX0UZh9 #psg pic.twitter.com/bi94vho8Nv
a CNN Sport (@cnnsport) November 26, 2015
In a recent interview with CNN, where the striker spoke on a range of topics, Zlatan once again took aim at Guardiola, saying: “Whatever happened, as a coach he was fantastic. As a person, I have no comments about that. He is not a man.”
The Bayern Munich manager hasn’t yet been forthcoming about his views on the Swedish superstar, and Zlatan’s barb is unlikely to evoke a response from the 44-year-old, who likes to let his team do the talking for him.
Ibrahimovi must deliver on the biggest stage
Although he has wowed the global football audience in the UEFA Champions League with some incredible goals, Zlatan is yet to truly make a difference in the biggest games in the competition. With PSG cruising in Ligue 1, they now have the ability to go deep into the knock-out rounds of the competition, and their success largely depends on the performance of their most influential player.
Although the PSG midfield is arguably the team’s greatest strength, it is Zlatan who can produce the sort of magic that could help the French champions beat the likes of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, and the Swede must deliver this season on the biggest stage in European club football.