The tit-for-tat between two of the more outspoken footballers of recent times continues after PSG’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic responded to recent comments made by Marco Materazzi, with the Swede advising the former Inter and Italy star that he should be thanking Zinedine Zidane for his fame.
In a recent interview with France Football, Materazzi was critical of Ibrahimovic, whom he played with at Inter, saying that the Swedish international thought too much about himself and not enough of the teammates he was always criticising.
Responding in an interview given to French radio station Europe 1, Ibrahimovic said that “I think Materazzi should be very happy because thanks to Zidane he has become very famous.” He went on to say that the former Italy international should “thank Zidane, because if he is famous, it’s not because he won a World Cup or played for Inter, but thanks to Zidane.”
Ibrahimovic of course refers to the infamous headbutt by Zidane in the 2006 World Cup final. The Swede indicated that he had some sympathy with the former French international, saying that “these things can happen. I’ve also made a bunch of stupid mistakes on the field.” He went on to praise Zidane, saying that when he was playing, “he was the best in the world. To stop him, it wasn’t enough to use your footballing skills. You had to provoke him; I’m certain that he was provoked. For a second, he lost control [and headbutted him].”
Ibrahimovic currently tops the goal-scoring charts in France with 19 goals for PSG.
Follow Marco Rinaldi on Twitter: @marcoarrinaldi
