Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori claims former Liverpool star was better than Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori has claimed that former Liverpool forward Luis Suarez is better than Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Suarez and Ibrahimovic are two of the greatest strikers to have graced the sport.
Ibrahimovic called time on his professional career in 2023, while Suarez still plies his trade with Inter Miami in the Major League Soccer (MLS). Apart from being great strikers, one similar notable thing in the careers of the pair is they both played at multiple clubs.
Ibrahimovic played for nine clubs throughout his professional career and scored 561 goals across club and country. Suarez, meanwhile, is currently playing for his eighth club and has scored 558 career goals across club and country.
Calafiori spoke with GOAL and compared some greats while also making an intriguing comparison between Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Luis Ibrahimovic. The Arsenal man admitted that Ibrahimovic is a legend, but added that Liverpool had a striker who was even better in Suarez.
In terms of goal scoring, Suarez edges Ibrahimovic across different football competitions. The Uruguayan striker has more goals in club sides and more international goals, but the Swede has more UEFA Champions League goals. However, Ibrahimovic never won the competition throughout his playing career.
''He's among the top five strikers in the world'' – When former Liverpool player Mamadou Sakho said Luis Suarez is in the same category as Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Mamadou Sakho once placed his former teammate, Luis Suarez, in the same bracket as Zlatan Ibrahimovic. His comments came after Suarez was named the Premier League Player of the Month in the 2013-14 season while at Liverpool.
Speaking after Suarez picked up the individual accolade, Sakho said (via Bleacher Report):
''Luis Suarez is in the same category as Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He's among the top five strikers in the world right now. They have different qualities, but they are both machines.
''Luis Suarez is also a cool guy. He likes to joke around in the dressing room. He even tries to speak French sometimes with his funny accent. He's a good guy, contrary to the image he has. I also thought that when I arrived, but I soon understood that he was someone who's prepared to do everything to win, but he's a good person.’’
Suarez won the highest-goal scorer award in the Premier League that season as he scored 31 goals. He also jointly won the European Golden Shoe award with Cristiano Ronaldo, who also scored 31 goals in LaLiga.