Zlatan Ibrahimović trashes teammates and MLS: 'I am like a Ferrari among Fiats'
Zlatan Ibrahimović might want to tread lightly the next time he sees his L.A. Galaxy teammates. Ibrahimović took a shot at all of them and MLS in an interview with ESPN.
During the interview, Ibrahimović compared himself to a “Ferrari among Fiats.” He said that while talking about the difference between MLS and soccer in Europe.
"MLS is not the level of Europe, to be honest. Before, I played with players either on my level or close to it. Which makes the game connect easier. ... Here, I am like a Ferrari among Fiats. And it can happen that the Ferrari can become the Fiat, or the Fiat can become the Ferrari. I had the same issue with the national [Swedish] team, though not as much. I said, 'I don't accept it. I don't accept when the ball doesn't arrive, or arrives too late. I want them to come up to my level.' All of this makes me slow down a bit. The game here [in America] could be so much faster, so much more tactical, so much more rhythmic."
Ibrahimović made a similar point in an ESPN interview from Wednesday. When asked about Carlos Vela potentially being the best player in MLS, Ibrahimović said that can’t be true since Vela was playing in MLS and not in Europe.
"[Carlos Vela] is playing in MLS and he's in his prime. When I was 29 where was I?"
Ahead of El Tráfico, Zlatan says he's the best player in MLS "by far" 👀 (via @ahoraonuncaespn) pic.twitter.com/nAqYrM47sB— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) July 18, 2019
Both of those comments were made the week Ibrahimović and the Galaxy will take on Vela and LAFC. The rivalry matchup, known as El Trafico, will take place Friday.
Ibrahimović will look to back up those words — both to his teammates and to Vela — during the game.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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