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What's the story?
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is very well known in the footballing world for his feisty interviews and conferences, as well as his incredible goal-scoring exploits.
In what will go down as another one of his interviews where the 37-year-old doesn't hold anything back, Ibrahimovic has claimed that he is far better than league top-scorer Carlos Vela, stating that he was playing in Europe during his prime years, and not in the MLS.
In case you didn't know...
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has enjoyed a stellar career which has spanned over 20 years, scoring 520 senior goals till date for club and country. He is Sweden's all-time leading goalscorer, having scored 62 goals for his country before announcing his retirement from international football after Euro 2016.
The Malmo academy graduate has played for some of the most decorated clubs in the world, including Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Manchester United. Ibrahimovic moved to America to play in the Major League Soccer (MLS) for LA Galaxy in 2018, after injuries disrupted his United career.
Zlatan is third in this season's goalscoring charts with 13 goals, behind Atlanta's Josef Martinez and LAFC's Carlos Vela, who has 19 goals to his name.
The heart of the matter
Speaking to ESPN on the eve of the Los Angeles derby between LA Galaxy and Vela's LAFC, Ibrahimovic, in his typical outspoken way, said that he is still better than his Mexican rival:
"By far, because if he's in his prime. How old is he? Twenty-nine,"
"And he's playing in MLS and he's in his prime. When I was 29 [I was in Europe]. Big difference."
Speaking about derbies, Ibrahimovic added:
"That [derby] atmosphere keeps me alive, that keeps me on my toes,"
The most hyped derby I have played is El Clasico [between Real Madrid and Barcelona]. The most intense I have to go Italy. Milan-Inter, those were good games."
What's next?
Vela and Ibrahimovic will square off against each other in the Los Angeles derby on Friday, and it will be interesting to see who has the last laugh among the two. However, the Swedish striker has undoubtedly had a better career so far, and Vela has a long way to go if he is to match the exploits of one of the best footballers ever.
