Six great Zlatan Ibrahimovic quotes after latest Cantona outburst
Published:
Jamie Clark, Sports Editor | July 20, 2016
Holly Thackeray | July 14, 2016
Five quintessential Zlatan quotes after Cantona jibe
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has come out with some great lines over the years, and has proven to be one of the biggest rent-a-quote stars in football since Eric ‘sardines’ Cantona.
Now at legend Cantona’s former club Manchester United along with Jose Mourinho, the self-confident ex-Sweden striker is already ruffling Premier League feathers with some fantastic soundbites.
Forward turned actor Cantona, known as the ‘King’ during his successful time at Old Trafford, recently caught the Swede’s attention stating: “I have a personal message to Zlatan. You have decided for United and it is the best choice you’ve ever made. But one last thing, there can be only one king in Manchester.
“You can become a prince if you want and jersey number 7 is yours if you are interested. It is my welcome gift to you. The king is gone. Long live the prince.”
Ibrahimovic’s ego demanded a response, with many pundits tipping the superstar to have a similar impact in Manchester as Cantona did from 1992-97 as the club cantered to four top-flight titles during the Frenchman’s stint.
Zlatan (9/1 to be crowned top Premier League scorer in the upcoming campaign) responded to Cantona by saying: “I heard what he said and I congratulate him because I have always admired him.
“But he should know that I won’t be king of Manchester. I will be God of Manchester.”
This instant classic quote got Coral’s football experts thinking of own favourite Ibrahimovic sayings, Zlatanisms if you will. Soundbites spiky and sensational enough to rival Cantona off the pitch. Here’s what we came up with…
Bordeaux air blue
The former PSG player reacted angrily after his then side’s 3-2 Ligue 1 loss to Bordeaux in 2015, which left them two points adrift of table-toppers Lyon. “In 15 years I’ve never seen a [good] referee in this s**t country… [they] don’t even deserve PSG,” he exclaimed after the match.
Here is footage of the incident…
While the former Ajax, Barcelona, AC Milan and Inter Milan star unusually apologised for his outburst, it still landed the striker in rather hot water.
“What Carew does with a football…”
In response to criticism from former Aston Villa and West Ham United striker John Carew that his stylish and skilful moves are pointless, Ibra said: “What Carew does with a football, I can do with an orange.” Ouch.
We’re sure Carew will think twice next time he takes on the giant Swede, but here are some of Ibrahimovic’s most impressive tricks to feast your eyes upon:
“Zlatan doesn’t do auditions”
We’ve all heard about how many star players Arsene Wenger has almost signed, and we bet this one must be top of the French tactician’s missed transfer regret list.
When asked about Arsenal’s interest in him when Ibrahimovic was a youngster, he said: “Wenger asked me to have a trial with Arsenal when I was 17. I turned it down. Zlatan doesn’t do auditions.” There you have it…How different may the Gunners’ fortunes have been?
Celebrating in style
On reports of excessive celebrations following Juventus’ 2005 Serie A title win (one that was subsequently stripped from the Old Lady), Zlatan stated: “It was the fault of David Trezeguet, who made me do one drink of vodka after another. I slept in the bathtub. Now I hold my vodka much better.” We’re sure such excesses won’t go down too well with Mourinho…
Guardiola rivalry
Ibrahimovic is on record as being no fan of former boss Pep Guardiola when at Barcelona for a season, and had this to say of his team talks team talks: “Then Guardiola started his philosopher thing. I was barely listening. Why would I? It was advanced bull**** about blood, sweat and tears, that kind of stuff.”
We await the Manchester derby eagerly for more on his past with Pep.
Balotelli no-brainer
While, Ibrahimovic also passed comment on former Inter Milan teammate Mario Balotelli’s bathroom antics when at Manchester City, saying: “I like fireworks too, but I set them off in gardens or kebab stands. I never set fire to my own house.” Wise words indeed.
Related
Check out our special Premier League section for more on Ibrahimovic and his Man Utd move.
