“It is not natural” - When Zlatan Ibrahimovic chose his side in Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi debate
Zlatan Ibrahimovic once chose Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo in the GOAT debate. The mercurial Swede shared the pitch 42 times with La Pulga, all during their time together at Barcelona.
They won 31 and lost just four of those games, contributing 10 goals together. The partnership was broken when Zlatan left the Catalans after one season to join AC Milan on loan.
The two won the league, the UEFA Super Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup, and the Supercopa de España together with Barcelona. The legendary Swede saw enough in the diminutive Argentinean to rate him higher than his eternal rival.
Speaking in 2016, as cited by GIVEMESPORT, Zlatan insisted that Lionel Messi is one of a kind, while Cristiano Ronaldo is a result of hard work.
“I think Messi is one of a kind. What he's doing, I don't know if we will see another player do the things that he does. It is different [with Ronaldo] because he is the result of hard training. It is not natural," said Zlatan.
The Messi-Ronaldo rivalry lit up LaLiga for nine seasons during the latter's stay with Real Madrid. CR7 eventually left for Juventus in the summer of 2018, while La Pulga departed Barcelona in 2021 to join Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
The Argentinean currently plies his trade with Inter Miami, while the Portuguese plays for Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr. Both superstars are in the twilight of their careers, but their rivalry remains as intense as ever.
How many times did Zlatan Ibrahimovic face Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in his career?
Zlatan Ibrahimovic faced both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi quite a few times in his career. The legendary Swede came up against La Pulga eight times, all during the latter's time with Barcelona.
Interestingly, Zlatan never registered a win against the diminutive Argentinean, facing defeat five times. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner scored five goals in those encounters, while the Swede managed three.
Meanwhile, the former AC Milan striker locked horns with Cristiano Ronaldo on 13 occasions, at both international and club level. Zlatan Ibrahimovic has a slightly better record against CR7 compared to Lionel Messi, winning three and losing five of their meetings.
The Portuguese scored eight goals, while the Swede registered four goals in those encounters. The two of them were famously involved in Portugal's 3-2 win over Sweden, where they scored all the goals.