Zlatan Ibrahimovic has shared his opinion on the Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Lionel Messi debate over who is the greatest of all time, and many fans are displeased with his take.
The rivalry between Ronaldo and Messi is one of the most intense in sports, with football enthusiasts worldwide passionately debating which of the two players deserves the title of the greatest ever.
Ronaldo supporters often point to the Portuguese forward’s superior goal tally, while many argue that Messi settled the debate by winning the 2022 World Cup in Qatar…Continue Reading
However, the most qualified voices in this conversation may be former players, and Ibrahimovic, having played for both Manchester United and Barcelona, is known for not avoiding controversial subjects.
Speaking in 2022, Ibrahimovic responded in his typical controversial and confident way saying: “The only thing Ronaldo is ahead of Messi is the age”.
Chelsea supporter Frank Khalid sparked a heated debate on social media by posting the quotes without any context, which unsurprisingly drew a large reaction from Ronaldo fans.
One of the most liked replies read: “I’ve never seen a more jealous and egoist player than Ibrahimovic. Solomon Kalou had a better career than this fraud.”
Another added: “Zlatan is only jealous that all and he can never achieve what Cristiano Ronaldo has achieved in the world of football.”
A third person said: “Zlatan is turning out to be a comedian, he needs to respect CR7!”
Nevertheless, not all responses targeted the Swede directly. Some defended his comments, arguing that Messi’s World Cup victory effectively settled the discussion about who is the greatest of all time.
One user replied with: “Messi ended the debate. Nothing to talk about anymore”, with a second saying “Zlatan is not wrong”.
Some believe that Ibra’s remarks reflect a hidden bias against Ronaldo, rather than being an impartial opinion.
Many replies highlighted this, tracing the tension back to a World Cup Qualifier in 2013.
According to these theories, the rivalry between Ronaldo and Ibrahimovic began during a Portugal-Sweden clash, where Ronaldo’s hat-trick that night denied Sweden a spot in the 2014 World Cup.
“Never thought a performance can rattle ur mental peace for 9 years”, one person wrote on Twitter.
