Ibrahimovic: Maybe England will say I am as good as Messi now

Ibrahimovic: Maybe England will say I am as good as Messi now

Nov 15, 2012 8:00:00 AM

The 31-year-old forward capped a memorable performance with an astounding piece of skill for his fourth goal which he hopes will now see him get the credit he deserves in England

Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic believes his acrobatic fourth goal against England in the team's 4-2 friendly win was as good as anything Barcelona's Lionel Messi is capable of.

The Paris Saint-Germain forward has often failed to impress against English clubs largely due to an inconsistent record against Premier League sides in Europe in the past, but hopes now that his exploits against Roy Hodgson's team at international level will see a change in tune from some of his many critics.

"That's the way it is with the English. If you score against them you're a good player, if you don't score against them you're not a good player," Ibrahimovic told reporters.

"I remember Lionel Messi before the 2009 Champions League Final. Then he scored against Manchester United and suddenly he was the best player in the world.

"Maybe now they'll say something like that about me. Hart was a long way out and I was just trying to get it into the goal. I was on the ground when it was on the way in.

"I saw a defender sliding in to try to get rid of it and I wanted to scream 'No' but the ball went in."

In the build-up to the game, England captain Steven Gerrard, winning his 100th cap, was asked to grade his international career out of 10 and responded with "six or seven."

However, when the very same question was put to Ibrahimovic, the 31-year-old was not afraid to talk himself and his achievements up, marking his own career as a "10".

Sweden boss Erik Hamren stated after the game that with a player of Ibrahimovic's talent, anything is possible, even if he succeded even his own lofty expectations with his acrobatic overhead kick for the fourth goal.

"I don't know if you will see another like it in your life. It was like watching a video game," he added.

"Sometimes, when he's doing these things, in training or in matches, you don't think it's possible. Because it's not possible to do that - the fourth goal, for example."

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