Zlatan Ibrahimovic Furious Only to Be 2nd on List of Sweden's Greatest Sportsmen

For most people, being second on the list of your country's greatest sportsmen would be something of an honour, but not for Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The footballer missed out on the top spot to Bjorn Borg, a tennis player who won multiple Grand Slams and was at the forefront of the game in the 1980s. Borg remains hugely popular in his homeland.

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Asked about the results by the paper, Dagens Nyhether, that put them together, Ibrahimovic says he should have occupied every position in the top 5.

In quotes provided by The Guardian of a tetchy interview, Ibrahimovic says:

"

Dagens Nyhether: Congratulations, you have finished second on the list of Swedish sports people of all time, how do you feel about that?

Zlatan: Thank you but to finish second is like finishing last.

DN: You have previously mentioned Muhammad Ali, Petter Northug and Ronaldo as sports people you rank highly. Who would have finished on the podium if you had ranked the best Swedish sports people of all time?

Zlatan: On that list I would have been No1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, with due respect to the others

"

On the plus side, Ibrahimovic and Borg do seem to at least maintain respect for one another. Borg has recently described the Paris Saint-Germain striker as "bigger than IKEA," while Ibrahimovic brands the tennis player "cool" and a "living legend" in the same interview with Dagens Nyhether.

[The Guardian]