Zlatan Ibrahimovic reveals brutal first meeting with Pep Guardiola where ex-Man Utd star defied manager’s orders
ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC has revealed that he defied one of Pep Guardiola’s very first orders when he joined Barcelona.
The legendary striker signed for the Catalan giants from Inter Milan in a blockbuster 2009 deal.
Ibrahimovic joined an all-conquering team that had just won the Treble under Guardiola.
He would last just one season at Barca, however, before being shipped out on loan AC Milan due to clashes with his manager.
Appearing on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Ibrahimovic revealed one such dispute relating to his choice of vehicle.
He said: “When I met Pep Guardiola, he told me: ‘Remember, the players here do not come with Ferraris.
“What did I do? Of course. I brought my f***ing Ferrari.”
Ibrahimovic, who turned 42 today, was still a prolific goalscorer at Barca – netting 21 times in 45 appearances in all competitions.
But his side failed to retain the Champions League and he was soon out the door.
In his autobiography, Ibrahimovic recounted the explosive aftermath of Barca’s Champions League exit at the hands of Inter.
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He wrote: “I yelled: ‘You haven’t got any balls!’ and worse than that I added: ‘You can go to hell!’ I completely lost it, and you might have expected Guardiola to say a few words in response, but he’s a spineless coward.
“He just picked up the metal box, like a little caretaker, and then left, never to mention it again, not a word.”
Ibrahimovic felt it was a crucial tactical tweak involving Lionel Messi that saw him become surplus to requirements at Barca.
He has previously said: “It started well but then Messi started to talk. He wanted to play in the middle, not on the wing, so the system changed from 4-3-3 to 4-5-1.
“I was sacrificed and no longer had the freedom on the pitch I need to succeed.”
Ibrahimovic went on to enjoy successful spells at AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United and LA Galaxy.
But the Champions League would continue to elude him throughout his illustrious career.
The Swedish legend hung up his boots aged 41 earlier this year.