Ibrahimovic: I've never heard of Nkoulou

Ibrahimovic: I've never heard of N'Koulou

Sep 30, 2012 2:05:00 PM

The striker claimed he does not know who the highly rated Cameroon defender is, and insisted that people who consider him to be arrogant are misguided

Paris Saint-Germain star Zlatan Ibrahimovic has claimed never to have heard of Olympique de Marseille starlet Nicolas N'Koulou.

The talented 22-year-old has impressed in Ligue 1 ever since his switch from Monaco in 2011, and has reportedly attracted interest from the likes of Barcelona and Manchester United in the past.

Ibrahimovic has been in fine form himself since his summer move to Parc des Princes from AC Milan, but seemingly played down the potential of the Cameroon defender when appearing on French TV show Telefoot, claiming he has never heard of him.

When the programme presenter suggested the Marseille man was the only player who could stop the Swede, he said: "N'Koulou, who is that? I don’t know him. Never heard of him.

"This is not a lack of respect, but when I don’t know a player, I don’t know him."

The mercurial striker has often been labelled as being too self-assured throughout his career, but the 30-year-old has insisted such views of him are mistaken.

"I’m a simple guy. If you think I’m arrogant then you don’t know me. But when people keep talking about you, that means you’re an important person," he said.

Paris Saint-Germain have invested heavily in order to build a squad capable of challenging for European honours, and Ibrahimovic admitted that all his current efforts are designed to help Carlo Ancelotti's side claim the continent's biggest prize.

"I’m not 100%, but I train everyday so I can win the Champions League with Paris," he added.

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