“I know what I have to do, Zlatan is still here” - When Ibrahimovic addressed ‘duel’ with Cristiano Ronaldo after returning to AC Milan in 2020
Back in 2020, Zlatan Ibrahimovic addressed the duel between himself and Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo upon his return to AC Milan. The Swedish striker was 38 years old at the time and returned to Serie A after a successful stint in the MLS with LA Galaxy where he bagged 53 goals and 15 assists across 58 games.
The well-traveled striker rejoined the Rossoneri in 2020 after initially leaving the Serie A giants to join Paris Saint-Germain for a reported €21 million fee in 2012.
Speaking to the press ahead of his return to Milan, Ibrahimovic stated via CNN:
“I know what I have to do, Zlatan is still here, the duel with Cristiano Ronaldo will be exciting. I’ll get meaner and meaner. I expect a lot from my teammates too. I’ve only seen Milan’s results from afar, but I don’t know what hasn’t been working so far. I’ve been looking for one final rush of adrenaline to give it my all,”
Despite Zlatan Ibrahimovic's words, he failed to get the better of the Portuguese superstar that season, with Ronaldo and Juventus lifting the Serie A title. The Swedish striker bagged 11 goals and five assists across 20 games on his return. The Portuguese superstar, on the other hand, was in imperious form, bagging 37 goals and seven assists in 4081 minutes across 46 games.
Overall, Ibrahimovic faced Cristiano Ronaldo 13 times for club and country, winning three matches and losing on five occasions. The Sweedish striker scored four goals, while the Portuguese legend netted eight times in those games.
"You have to be remembered for your talent, not for what you earned" - When Zlatan Ibrahimovic seemingly took a dig at Cristiano Ronaldo for moving to the Saudi Pro-League
Back in 2023, Zlatan Ibrahimovic appeared to aim a dig at Cristiano Ronaldo for moving to the Saudi Pro-League after his contract with Manchester United was mutually terminated after a public fall out. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner moved to the Near East after that winter World Cup in Qatar.
Ibrahimovic did not seem to approve of the move and told Piers Morgan Uncensored at the time:
"I had an offer also from China. I had an offer also from Saudi, but the situation is, what do you want? What objectives do you have? I said before we started, like certain players need to finish their career on the big stage because that is the high end of your career."
Despite Zlatan Ibrahimovic's comments', Cristiano Ronaldo has continued to find the back of the net with alarming regularity for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia and the Portugal National team even at the age of 39. He currently has 905 career goals, marking him as the most prolific player on record in the sport.