"He is not Lionel Messi, he is not Cristiano Ronaldo" - Ex-Inter Milan star shuts down Zlatan Ibrahimovic's greatest of all time claim

Former Inter Milan star Marco Materazzi has shot down Zlatan Ibrahimovic's claims of being the football GOAT over Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The former Sweden forward has proclaimed himself the greatest footballer of all time several times in the past.

During an interview with cryptocurrency based online casino Lucky Block, Marco Materazzi was asked about Zlatan Ibrahimovic billing himself as the football GOAT. The former Inter Milan defender acknowledged that the Swede was a big player but played down his claims. He said (via GOAL):

"He thinks he was the best player in the world. That is not my opinion. But he is a big, big player for me. He's scored a lot of goals historically."

Marco Materazzi further added:

"He's won many titles, maybe not the most important titles, because he lost the Champions League, World Cups, European Championships, but won maybe 20 Scudetti. He is a big player and everyone knows his name. But he's not Messi, he is not Ronaldo, he's Zlatan Ibrahimovic. But in the future everybody will know him."

During his professional career, Zlatan Ibrahimovic played for the likes of Manchester United, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Barcelona, Inter Milan and AC Milan. He scored 558 goals and gave 227 assists in 949 games for club and country.

When Zlatan Ibrahimovic ranked himself above Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in GOAT debate

In October 2023, Zlatan Ibrahimovic snubbed Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi and billed himself as the best. During an interview on Talk TV, British broadcaster Piers Morgan asked the former Barcelona forward where he would put himself in the all-time greats list.

Responding to the question, Ibrahimovic stated that he's the best football player in terms of individual quality. The former AC Milan star also called himself the most complete player. He said (via SPORTbible):

"I'm talking about individual quality. I think I'm the best... Without joking. I'm the most complete player that ever exists."

Ibrahimovic retired from professional football in June 2023 at age 41, playing his last game for AC Milan against Hellas Verona at San Siro. Since last December, the former Sweden captain has been working with I Rossoneri as a senior advisor.

Meanwhile, Lionel Messi currently plays for MLS side Inter Miami and Cristiano Ronaldo is the captain of Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr.