When Ibrahimovic switched from Internazionale to FC Barcelona in 2009, he was expected to enjoy a collection of great moments with the Spanish club. Many even predicted that he would turn into a loyal member of the club and pursue his career at the Camp Nou for several years.
Ibrahimovic himself stated that he was more than happy at Barca shortly after his arrival; but his love for the team - and especially for the coach - soon died. It was said that mid-way through the striker’s term with the giants, his relationship with Pep Guardiola completely broke lose, causing more or less significant tensions to separate them.
After his departure to AC Milan, Ibra told the press: “He (Guardiola) went down as a person in my estimation. He avoided me and wouldn't even look me in the eye.
“[…] You have to ask him why he brought down the shutters.”
Probably, the friendship that once united Pep Guardiola and Ibrahimovic will never rise again. An excerpt from his new autobiography reads:
“I screamed: ‘You have no balls!’ And things probably much worse than that, and then I added: ‘You sh***ing yourself for Mourinho. You can go to hell!’ I was totally crazy.”
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But apparently, the Swedish man isn’t only uncomfortable with the Spanish manager; Lionel Messi might also be in his list of personalities who have lost his favour overtime. Ibrahimovic - who referred to Barcelona players as “schoolboys” - affirmed that his unhappiness came after Lionel Messi requested to play more centrally.
In any case, it is quite clear that Ibra now looks upon Pep Guardiola as a dishonest and bias manager, for whom he has lost his respect. Despite the negative statements the Milan striker made in his recently-published book though, the Barcelona coach chose to show more appreciation for the striker during his pre-match conference on Monday.
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“He’s a formidable player,” Guardiola was quoted saying by the club’s official website. “He helped us a lot during his time at Barcelona.”
Asked about the manner in which he would communicate with Ibrahimovic in Italy on Wednesday night, Guardiola answered: “If we meet, I’ll be spontaneous and I’ll greet him. […] We’ll act like the competitors that we are.”
Nevertheless, this does not mean that he is connected to his former player in any way. Although Guardiola was quick to deny the fact that Zlatan had turned into an enemy, he still refused to mention his first name, for some reasons.
“I don’t have any problems with Mr Ibrahimovic,” he said.
Milan host Barcelona at the San Siro in a game where perfection is needed on behalf of the visitors. Barca currently lead Group H with 10 points, but a defeat would push them a point behind the Italians. The fixture’s first leg ended in a dramatic 2-2 draw at the Nou Camp.
