When Zlatan Ibrahimovic made the move from Inter Milan to Barcelona, it was marked as a significant signing. However, it didn’t take long for tension to build between Pep Guardiola and the Swedish striker.
Ibrahimovic’s need for more room on the pitch to reach his full potential was one of the underlying problems. The Swedish player felt that he required the freedom to play the game in his own way. He openly communicated this to Guardiola, which, in his own words, seemed to offend the manager.
As tensions simmered, Guardiola opted to bench Ibrahimovic, causing further frustration for the talented striker. It was during this time that Ibrahimovic decided to take matters into his own hands, creating situations that would exacerbate the already tense relationship.
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Ibrahimovic recalled one particularly bold move he made to challenge Guardiola’s authority. He brought his prized Enzo Ferrari to the training ground and parked it prominently in front of the manager’s office. In his own words, it was a message that said, “You f*** with me, I f*** with you.”
“In front of his office. I said, ‘You want to play with fire? I will bring you fire, but I will burn you’. Obviously he is the coach, because what punished most the players, player if he doesn’t play, because obviously you want to play, but the boss is the coach. But in that moment I understood this will not be okay,” added Zlatan in the interview.
While Guardiola and Ibrahimovic went their separate ways in 2010, their verbal sparring continued in the media in the years that followed. The Swede also made a recent revelation that Manchester City boss’s ego could prevent Erling Haaland from reaching his potential.
The reason behind Zlatan Ibrahimovic rejecting Arsenal
Zlatan Ibrahimovic recently shared a captivating story about a meeting with Arsene Wenger that ultimately led to him turning down Arsenal.
Ibrahimovic had the chance to meet with former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger when he was just 17 years old. The young Swede remembered clearly the thrill and awe he experienced when walking into Wenger’s office. Ibrahimovic shared, “I saw these players, Bergkamp, Henry, I saw Ljungberg, I saw Vieira, I saw all these players, and I was like ‘F**k, this is big.”
Wenger extended an offer to the young Ibrahimovic which was supposed to be a two-week trial with Arsenal. This proposition marked a pivotal moment in the meeting. However, Ibrahimovic admitted, “Everything was good until he said you come and do a trial.”
🔴⚪️ Zlatan Ibrahimovic on decision to reject Arsenal trial when he was 17: “Wenger invited me but I didn’t go to Arsenal. I don’t do trials”.
“No no, you don’t understand… I don’t do trials. I am the best; f**k the rest”, told @piersmorgan. pic.twitter.com/fGhreMd0rd
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 3, 2023
Ibrahimovic clearly rejected Wenger’s offer for a trial, demonstrating his self-assurance. He recounted his response, saying, “‘I don’t do trials,’ and he was like, ‘What do you mean?’ ‘I don’t do trials, either you want me or you don’t want me, or else why am I here?’”
Ibrahimovic’s refusal to undergo a trial was the turning point in his meeting with Arsene Wenger. He explained, “‘No, but you have to come and do a trial,’ and then, ‘No, no, you don’t understand, I don’t do trials.’ That was it, I never went to Arsenal.”
Ibrahimovic went on a remarkable soccer journey instead of signing with Arsenal, playing for Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, and Barcelona, among other top European clubs. His eagerly anticipated Premier League debut came in 2016, but it wasn’t with Arsenal; it was with Manchester United, Arsenal’s fiercest rivals.