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Mario Balotelli hit back at Zlatan Ibrahimovic with a savage post on his Instagram story after the former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star criticized him.
Ibrahimovic suggested that Balotelli had failed to make the most of his talent during his career. The Swede played alongside the Italian frontman at Inter Milan from 2007 to 2009.
The AC Milan legend told Italian journalist Gianluca di Marzio:
"Balotelli? He had many opportunities to exploit his talent and change his future. He never did, that's the truth."
Balotelli caught wind of Ibrahimovic's comments and decided to make light of the Swedish icon's failure to win the UEFA Champions League during his career. He uploaded a picture of himself celebrating winning the European title with Inter in 2010.
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The 42-year-old hung up his boots at the end of last season, bringing an end to a 24-year career. He won many trophies during his playing days, including titles in Italy, Spain, and France. He bagged 496 goals and 205 assists in 827 games across competitions for the likes of Milan, Inter, PSG, and Barcelona.
However, the Champions League is the one trophy that evaded Ibrahimovic although he isn't overly fazed. He told Sky Italia back in 2017:
"I am missing one trophy. But I say to myself: if I had won the Champions League, would I have become a better player? No. By not winning it, have I become a worse player? No."
Balotelli did manage to win Europe's elite club competition at the start of his career. However, some argue that he failed to live up to his potential after leaving the San Siro for Manchester City in 2010.
The enigmatic Italian forward has since made moves to the likes of Swiss minnows FC Sion and most recently Turkish outfit Adana Demirspor. The 33-year-old has managed 201 goals and 43 assists in 474 club games.
Fans have shown support for Balotelli in his response to his former Inter teammate. One fan reckons the former PSG star needs to humble himself:
"Zlatan needs to humble himself."
Here's how fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to Balotelli's retort towards the Swedish legend:
Ibrahimovic admits he didn't want to leave AC Milan when joining PSG in 2012
The Rossonerri legend has admitted that he didn't want to leave Milan for PSG back in 2012. The Swede told Di Marzio:
"I didn't want to leave , I would have liked to stay at Milan. They sold me in a pack together with Thiago Silva, but I'm a man of my word, I went and in the end it was fantastic."
Ibrahimovic joined the Ligue 1 giants in a €21 million deal shortly after the Qatari takeover of the Parisians. He quickly became a fan favorite at the Parc des Princes with spectacular performances.
The PSG hero bagged 156 goals and 62 assists in 180 games across competitions. He's the Parisians' third all-time top goalscorer, behind former teammate Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe.
However, he was able to end his illustrious career back at Milan, a club he clearly adores. The Swedish great scored 93 goals and provided 35 assists in 163 games across competitions for the Rossonerri over two spells.
