Why Zlatan Ibrahimovic was unhappy with ‘king of Paris’ label – Benjamin Stambouli

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Ex-PSG midfielder Benjamin Stambouli has opened up about the eccentric personality of former teammate Zlatan Ibrahimovic, describing how the Swedish striker described himself as a “God”.

The Frenchman spent one season with the Ligue 1 giants from 2015-16 where he played with Ibrahimovic, and went on to say how much he learned from the Swede.

The Swede is still regarded as a cult icon at the Parc des Princes even after making the switch to Manchester United in 2016, breaking the record as the side’s top-scorer with 156 goals (a number that has only recently been bettered by Edinson Cavani). NaijaBet.com

Ibrahimovic is known for his confidence and presence on and off the pitch, and Stambouli made sure to illustrate just how extraordinary the striker was – saying that his charisma and sheer tenacity was something that all his teammates benefited from.

“We were at physiotherapy and news was on TV,” the 27-year-old told Goal.

“Zlatan asked me to translate it because there was something about him on. NaijaBet.com

“So I explained that they said that Zlatan is the King of Paris. I thought he would be happy about it, because it’s great that the people love him so much. But he was different. He was very angry and shouted at me: ‘What the f***? I’m not the king, I’m god’. This guy is totally crazy.”

When asked what precisely made the Swede tick the way he does, Stambouli responded: “His character, his strength on the pitch and his leadership. He is an incredible person that reads situations faster than everybody else. NaijaBet.com

“Zlatan is very clever and tests you in every situation, only to analyse you. He loves to play things with you and is able to control some people this way.”

The 36-year-old has enjoyed an ambitious and highly decorated career playing for Europe’s biggest clubs – winning titles with AC Milan, Barcelona, Ajax, Inter and Man United.

“Zlatan wants to win every single time,” the Frenchman said about the Swede’s determination. “It doesn’t matter if it’s on the pitch or when we try to throw plastic bottles into the bin. Zlatan would do everything to win. NaijaBet.com

“When he was at PSG he was the king of Paris and had already won a lot of trophies, but he was still hungry to win. He wants to win every day and wants to win everything you can win.”

The Swede is currently recovering from a long injury layoff after damaging his ACL last year, and has made just five Premier League appearances this season for the Red Devils after suffering from a fresh knee injury. NaijaBet.com