SUMMARY
- Zlatan Ibrahimovic rarely loses on or off the field, but facing former England captain David Beckham makes it tough.
- England faced Sweden in the World Cup quarters, and there was a bet. Ibrahimovic pledged to go to IKEA and have Beckham pay the bill if Sweden won.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is not the kind of person who easily loses on and off the field, however, the going gets tough if your opponent on the other end is former England captain, David Beckham. These two legends of the game were involved in a friendly bet back in the 2018 FIFA World Cup that became a part of soccer history.
England met Sweden in the quarterfinals of the World Cup which was the basis of the bet. Ibrahimovic told Beckham that if Sweden beat England, he would go to IKEA and buy whatever he wanted and the bill for the whole purchase had to be paid by Beckham.
On the flip side, Beckham demanded if England won against Sweden, Ibrahimovic would come to Wembley Stadium in London to support England. He will also wear the England jersey and eat fish and chips during the match. The quarterfinal went underway and England came out the winner with a 2-0 scoreline. Harry Maguire and Dele Alli scored for England to hand Beckham a tasty win over Ibrahimovic.
After the win, many fans were wondering whether the former Swedish international would fulfill his commitment to the bet but Ibrahimovic came through and released a video dedicated to Beckham. Ibrahimović was in MLS at the time with LA Galaxy, he released a video from the locker room of the American club to his former teammate.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic honors his bet against David Beckham
Ibrahimovic addressed the bet in the video and assured Beckham that he would come to England to watch the game with him. The Swede stated in the video: “David, we made a bet, I lost. I’m coming to Wembley to watch England game in England shirt and eat fish and chips. So, that’s it. Just give me time to breathe and cool down after the loss, it’s okay, I am looking forward to the game.”
Ibrahimovic showed his class with the video as he was all smiles in the video and was happy even though he lost the bet. David Beckham and Ibrahimovic friendship go way back to 2013 when the duo shared the dressing room at PSG and the connection grew even stronger with this bet.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic isn’t backing out of his bet with David Beckham…@Ibra_official #ENG #SWE #WorldCup #MUFC pic.twitter.com/fVyaL3y5RH
— BBC Sport Manchester (@BBCRMsport) July 19, 2018
This bet has become a part of soccer history and is fondly remembered by England fans whenever the 2018 FIFA World Cup is discussed. The bet was widely covered in the media and even IKEA got involved and stated that they would treat Ibrahimovic and Beckham with köttbullar and lingonberry (Swedish meatballs) when they visited IKEA after the Swedish win.
Yo @Ibra_official. When Sweden wins and you bring @davidbeckham we will treat you with köttbullar and lingonberry. Hope medium size is okay? https://t.co/NbZgISdDFK
— IKEA Sverige (@IKEASverige) July 6, 2018
Sadly for Ibrahimovic and IKEA, Sweden came second best against England but both sets of fans were able to laugh even though neither was able to win the whole tournament. Since the loss, Ibrahimovic has never made another bet involving Sweden. Maybe he has learned his lesson. The Swedish international retired from the national team in 2016 and from club soccer in 2023.