Zlatan Ibrahimovic says Manchester City coach
Pep Guardiola is the most "immature" person he
has ever worked under.
Ibrahimovic linked up with Guardiola at Barcelona
in 2009, joining the Catalan club from Inter Milan
in exchange for Samuel Eto'o and a fee of around
€60 million.
However, despite scoring 21 goals in his debut
season at the Camp Nou, the Manchester United
striker's relationship with Guardiola deteriorated
throughout the campaign.
In his 2011 book, "I am Zlatan," the 36-year-old
revealed things hit an all-time low after Barca's
Champions League elimination to Inter --- who
were managed by Jose Mourinho at the time --
when he called Guardiola a "spineless coward."
And Ibrahimovic told Sky Sport Italia: "The first
six months were perfect, then the manager
changed system, tactics and it didn't work for
me. I went to talk to him. I'm here to talk, if you
think it's for another reason then we can't talk.
"I said: 'I believe that you are sacrificing some
players for one player, [Lionel] Messi.' He said: 'I
don't think this is the case but I understand what
you say. I will take care of it, no problem. I will
solve everything.' I thought it would be OK.
"The following game I was on the bench. I don't
say anything, I work. Second match, bench again.
I thought he solved it well and he was not talking
to me or explaining. Third match, bench. Then
the fourth match comes and bench again.
"I think something is strange. From that moment
he stopped talking to me, looking at me. I go into
a room and he walks out of it. He was not a bad
person, but the most immature [coach] I've had
because a man solves his problems."
Ibrahimovic left Barca in 2010 for AC Milan,
before going on to join Paris Saint-Germain two
years later and then United in 2016.
Asked in 2016 about Ibrahimovic's comments
about him in his book, Guardiola said: "Always I
was clear [with him]. Whatever I said to him I
spoke face to face. I never used the media to
explain what I wanted from him on the pitch."
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