With Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Cristiano Ronaldo set to go head to head in Italy for the first time on Thursday night, here are eight things the Swede has previously said about the five-time Ballon d'Or winner, including some controversial claims.
Click through the gallery above to see eight things Ibrahimovic has said about Ronaldo before!
The 38-year-old striker is known for his strong maverick personality, and for the little care he has when speaking his mind. On Thursday, Ibrahimovic's AC Milan will square up to Ronaldo's Juventus in the Coppa Italia, and it could be the first time we see the two superstars do battle in Italy.
Considering the things Ibrahimovic has said about Ronaldo since the Portuguese's move to the Bianconeri from Real Madrid in 2018, their handshake before the match has the potential to be an awkward one.
Over the years, the former Sweden international has always very openly spoken of his admiration for FC Barcelona captain Lionel Messi, whom he has many times insisted is the best player in world football.
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When asked about Ronaldo in interviews, though, Ibrahimovic has not exactly hidden his supposed distaste for Los Blancos' all-time top goalscorer, kicking off a one-sided war of words in 2018 after the Portuguese signed for Juve.
After Ronaldo claimed he was after a new challenge, the ex-Paris Saint-Germain striker was quick to refute that joining the Italian giants was a big test, saying that "maybe it depends on what you mean by challenge. For me, a challenge is joining a team and taking them far. That's a challenge."
Earlier that year, following Ronaldo's spectacular bicycle-kick goal for Real against Juve in the UEFA Champions League, Ibrahimovic told ESPN FC that the Portuguese had "scored a beautiful goal today, but he should try it from 40 metres and see if it goes in".
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The Swede was cheekily alluding to his own famous bicycle-kick strike against England from far outside the box in 2012, but that is not the only provocative thing he has said when discussing the Portugal captain – click through the gallery above to see more!
Do you think Ibrahimovic perhaps has something against Ronaldo, and if so, why? Let us know in the comments section below.
