Swedish firebrand Zlatan Ibrahimovic \u2013 never one to be shy of the spotlight in courting controversy – believes he should be considered the equal of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the perpetual debate over the world’s greatest player.<\/p>\n
The 39-year-old Swedish striker, still flexing his biceps at AC Milan, has enjoyed the longevity of a hugely successful career at nine clubs in seven countries, scoring 502 goals, and still counting.<\/p>\n
However, despite not having laid hands on the Champions League and the Ballon d’Or – honors won multiple times by both Ronaldo and Messi – Ibrahimovic says he shouldn’t in any way be regarded as inferior to them.<\/p>\n
‘If you’re talking about intrinsic qualities, I have nothing less than them,’ he told France Football magazine.<\/p>\n
‘If you look at the trophies\u2026 yes, I didn’t win the Champions League.<\/p>\n
‘But I don’t know how you calculate it. I’m not obsessed with it because when you do good things collectively, the individual follows. The individual cannot be good if the collective is not good.<\/p>\n