Weeks after Zlatan Ibrahimovic claimed he won’t ‘waste’ time responding to Cristiano Ronaldo, Jhon Duran’s comment about him resurfaces

Cristiano Ronaldo's new teammate Jhon Duran has named Zlatan Ibrahimovic as his idol in a recent interview. The Colombian striker completed a move to Al-Nassr in the January transfer window and will now share the pitch with the Portuguese superstar.

CR7 is one of the greatest players of his generation and an idol to many young and upcoming footballers. However, Duran has snubbed Cristiano Ronaldo while naming the player he looks up to.

Speaking recently, as cited by Footboom (via Sport Bible), Duran insisted that he loves Zlatan Ibrahimovic for his personality.

"I love him for his personality, his self-confidence, his goal-scoring ability, and his temperament on the pitch. He always said: 'Why be like everyone else when you can be different?'. So, I really appreciate the way he approaches football and life, and I admire that example," said Duran.

Zlatan was recently in the news for hitting back at CR7, following the latter's comments about Ligue 1 being inferior to the Saudi Pro League. Speaking to the media, as cited by GOAL, the Swede suggested that replying to such a claim would be a waste of time.

“There is nothing to answer - you can't debate something when there is no evidence for one side. PSG is one of the great clubs of Europe in a very good league. Maybe only Spain and England can for sure say they are a superior league. I can't even reply to a suggestion that the Saudi League is superior - I won't even waste my time,” said Ibrahimovic.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic retired from football in the summer of 2023.

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How many times have Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Cristiano Ronaldo faced each other?

Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic faced each other just 14 times on the pitch for club and country. CR7 won five games, scoring eight goals, while the legendary Swede registered three wins, finding the back of the net four times.

The two giants collided for the first time on the international stage, when Portugal took on Sweden in a friendly in April 2004. The game ended 2-2, with neither player getting on the scoresheet.

The most memorable meeting between Zlatan and Cristiano Ronaldo was in the 2014 World Cup qualification playoffs in November 2013. CR7 scored a hattrick, and the Swede scored a brace as the game ended 3-2 in favour of Portugal. Sweden subsequently failed to qualify for the World Cup, and Zlatan never featured in the tournament again.