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Zlatan Ibrahimovic told ESPN he is the best player ever to feature in Major League Soccer, having spent two years at the LA Galaxy.
The Sweden forward moved to the United States in 2018 following 18 months in the Premier League with Manchester United, a stint curtailed by a serious knee injury.
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Asked how he felt about his time in MLS, he told ESPN’s Gab & Juls Show: “I’m very happy. I’m very thankful for MLS because they gave me the chance to feel alive.
“But the problem was I was still too alive. So I was too good for the whole competition. That is what I showed. And I’m the best ever to play in MLS and that is not me having ego or trying to show off now. That is true.
“And when I was there, I enjoyed [it]. I had a good time. And I like the way they were working, the way they were doing the marketing stuff.
“And I think [playing in MLS] was the best way for me to come back after my injury. I was in the best condition ever. And I’m very proud I played for the MLS, because they were saying to me the stadiums are pretty empty when you play in that.
“There was no empty stadiums when I was playing. It was even overbooked, so I cannot complain, and I’m very happy I was there.”
Ibrahimovic, 40, is at Serie A side AC Milan, which he joined from the Galaxy in 2020. But he did not rule out a return to MLS in the future — and even hinted he could follow in Inter Miami owner David Beckham’s path and create his own franchise.
“You never know — maybe one day I’ll come back,” Ibrahimovic said. “So to show them how, to give them a reminder what real football is.
“So it’s for two years. They get to see what real football is and I think they will never see something like that before. Maybe I come back and have my own club — you’ll never know.”
The full interview with Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be available as a podcast on Tuesday.