Zlatan Ibrahamovic and Cristiano Ronaldo are greats of the game. The duo is deadly and lethal in front of goal.
No-one can deny that.
They have dazzled the masses over the past decade with their exploits in front of goal. The pair have done it in different countries.
They have been pillars of strength for their national teams – Ronaldo for Portugal and Ibrahamovic for Sweden.
But Ibrahamovic was out of line when he suggested that Ronaldo should have joined one of the second division teams in Italy and propelled them into the Italian Serie A.
According to Ibrahamovic, he would have deemed that a new challenge.
The flamboyant forward made it clear that he doesn’t think that Ronaldo will experience any challenge at Juventus, because they have been winning things in Italy for the past couple of years.
My big question is, why didn’t Ibrahamovic join a small team in the United States of America?
Why did he join LA Galaxy in Major League Soccer?
History shows that Ibrahamovic has never played for a small team in his entire career.
So, he is the last person to come out and say Ronaldo should have joined a small team in the lower league in Italy.
Ibrahamovic can’t compare himself to the mercurial Ronaldo.
As I said at the beginning, Ronaldo and Ibrahamovic are two great footballers, but the Portuguese goal-machine is far better than the lanky Swedish star.
In the past 11 years, Ronaldo has scooped five World Footballer of the Year gongs. That’s something that Ibrahamovic has never won in his career.
Ronaldo has also lifted a major trophy with his country. That’s something that Ibrahamovic has never done in his life.
Ronaldo has amassed five Uefa Champions League triumphs. That’s something that Ibrahamovic has never achieved in his career.
When you talk about challenges, you have to talk about winning major trophies and major individual honours.
Ronaldo has seven Uefa Champions League Golden Boots. That’s something that Ibrahamovic has never captured.
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring for Juventus against Lazio on Sunday. Photo: Gregorio Borgia/AP
These two are incomparable. They are a different kettle of fish.
So, Ibrahamovic must stop comparing himself with Ronaldo.
He only played two seasons in England and two seasons in Spain. He spent most of his career in Italy, while Ronaldo won all the major trophies with Manchester United in England and Real Madrid in Spain.
History shows that Zlatan Ibrahamovic has never played for a small team in his entire career. Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP
Ronaldo enjoyed a successful six-year career in England and nine fruitful seasons in Spain. To be consistent for more than 10 years is a huge challenge that Ronaldo met.
So, Ibrahamovic and Ronaldo are on different levels, but no-one can take away the fact that they are great footballers.
They have left their mark in different parts of the world. They have also inspired so many young, aspiring footballers.
@Minenhlecr7