Swedish football legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic has claimed that he is a better player than Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, insisting that he was a more complete and versatile forward during his playing career.
The former Sweden international made the remarks during an interview with Fox Sports, where he compared his style of play with that of the prolific Norwegian goalscorer.
Ibrahimovic acknowledged Haaland’s remarkable goalscoring ability and praised his intelligence inside the penalty area. According to the retired striker, the Manchester City star has mastered the art of being in the right position at the right time and is extremely efficient in front of goal.
However, the former AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan, Barcelona and Manchester United forward believes his own game offered much more than goals alone.
“He scores goals and is a killer in the box, but I was more versatile,” Ibrahimovic said.
“I enjoyed playing with the ball. He is a killer in the box, intelligent and does what he needs to do, but he doesn’t do more than what he can do. He doesn’t waste energy on it.”
The 44-year-old explained that throughout his career, he enjoyed dropping deep, creating chances, dribbling past opponents and contributing to his team’s overall play, qualities he believes made him a more complete attacker.
Ibrahimovic also recalled an interview in which Haaland said his dream was to touch the ball twice in a match and score two goals. The Swedish football icon used the comment to highlight the difference in their football philosophies.
“I saw an interview with him where he said that his dream is to touch the ball twice and score two goals. Rather, my dream was to touch the ball twice and score three goals,” Ibrahimovic added.
Haaland has become one of the most feared strikers in world football since joining Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund. The Norwegian has scored goals consistently for club and country, helping Pep Guardiola’s side win several major trophies while breaking numerous scoring records.
Despite Haaland’s impressive achievements at a relatively young age, Ibrahimovic remains convinced that his own blend of skill, creativity, physical strength and technical ability places him above the Manchester City star.
Ibrahimovic enjoyed a glittering career that spanned more than two decades, winning league titles in several countries and scoring over 500 career goals before retiring from professional football in 2023.
His comments are likely to spark fresh debate among football fans over how the legendary Swede compares with one of the game’s most prolific modern strikers.
