‘Speaks his mind’ – Why Zlatan Ibrahimovic was denied Ballon d’Or win as former team-mate Sulley Muntari insists Swedish striker was not ‘intimidating’ to play with

Former Ghana international Muntari spent time working with enigmatic Swedish striker Ibrahimovic at Inter and AC Milan. The outspoken frontman is famed for his sharp tongue and demanding attitude, but that was never considered to be an issue for his club colleagues.

Muntari, who also spent time in the Premier League at Portsmouth during his playing days, has told Flashscore when asked about self-proclaimed football “god” Zlatan: “As a team-mate Ibrahimovic wasn’t intimidating at all. He just wants the best out of you. He won games easily for whichever team I played. I managed to play with him during his early years in Inter during his first season then we met at Milan.”

Muntari added on why one of the greatest strikers of his generation, who won countless trophies in major divisions across Europe, was denied a Golden Ball and title of best player on the planet: “Ibrahimovic is the top player, he's one of the best during his time. They didn't want to give him the Ballon d’Or because he speaks his mind. Sometimes they don't like to hear that but Ibrahimovic is massive. My best strikers of all time are [Samuel] Eto'o, Ibrahimovic and [Thierry] Henry.”

Ibrahimovic retired in 2023, having played into his 40s, and is now an advisor to AC Milan’s ownership team. He is expected to thrive in that role, with Muntari saying: “Ibrahimovic has been a winner for a very long time and now that he is taking care of Milan not on the field but in an advisory role, I think with time he will be one of the top football administrators in the world.”

Ibrahimovic hit 511 goals in his club career and a further 62 for his country. He is now working with USMNT stars Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah at AC Milan, while England international defender Kyle Walker has become the latest addition at San Siro.