AC Milan's Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Barcelona's Pep Guardiola was scared of Jose Mourinho, & Iniesta, Xavi and Messi were like schoolboys
AC Milan attacker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has revealed that he completely lost control in the aftermath of Barcelona's 4-1 away win over Villarreal in the 2009-10 campaign as he slammed head coach Pep Guardiola for his 'lack of balls' in their Champions League elimination by Inter only days before.
Swedish publication Aftonbladet reports that the striker reveals in his autobiography, which will be published in two weeks' time, how he told Guardiola that he was afraid of then-Inter coach Jose Mourinho and that the Barcelona coach could "go to hell".
"I yelled to him: 'You have no balls!' And probably worse things than that. And I added: 'You are sh***ing yourself about Mourinho! You can go to hell!' I was completely mad. If I were Guardiola, I would have been frightened," Ibrahimovic writes in the first chapter of his book.
The former Ajax star also took the time to reveal his true feelings for Barcelona trio Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi.
"The atmosphere in the dressing room was way too quiet for me. Messi, Iniesta and Xavi always obeyed without protesting. They were like schoolboys. I'm not like that and I couldn't be myself."
Ibrahimovic also explained that Messi is Guardiola's favourite, while also stating that the coach made little attempt to communicate with him.
"Messi asked to be played in another position. He wanted to play as centre forward and got his way. I didn't have a relationship with the coach. He hardly looked at me."
The 30-year-old attacker left Barcelona for AC Milan in the summer of 2010 after only one year at Camp Nou. [Goal.com]
"I yelled to him: 'You have no balls!' And probably worse things than that. And I added: 'You are sh***ing yourself about Mourinho! You can go to hell!' I was completely mad. If I were Guardiola, I would have been frightened," Ibrahimovic writes in the first chapter of his book.
The former Ajax star also took the time to reveal his true feelings for Barcelona trio Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi.
"The atmosphere in the dressing room was way too quiet for me. Messi, Iniesta and Xavi always obeyed without protesting. They were like schoolboys. I'm not like that and I couldn't be myself."
Ibrahimovic also explained that Messi is Guardiola's favourite, while also stating that the coach made little attempt to communicate with him.
"Messi asked to be played in another position. He wanted to play as centre forward and got his way. I didn't have a relationship with the coach. He hardly looked at me."
The 30-year-old attacker left Barcelona for AC Milan in the summer of 2010 after only one year at Camp Nou. [Goal.com]