Zlatan Ibrahimovic mocks a referee

Referees are routinely criticized by players, managers and fans, but that usually doesn't involve a derpy impression of them. Unless it's Zlatan Ibrahimovic doing the criticizing.



Frustrated by teammate Thiago Motta's first-half sending off and his own booking in the final minutes of PSG's 0-0 draw against Ajaccio on Friday, Zlatan gave the ref a critique of his performance that included a funny face that needs to be put on a T-shirt immediately.



Feel the violent fury of Zlatan's facial mocking.

Zlatan: ‘Messi too short, Ronaldo useless’

Swedish striker, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, has lashed out at two of the world’s best footballers Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.



­“Messi may have four Golden Balls, but I don’t have to get on a box to buy a chocolate bar in a vending machine,” Ibrahimovic is cited as saying by Argentinean Canchallena website. "As for Cristiano Ronaldo, he’s a privileged spectator, who only watches how Messi receives all his awards. He doesn’t deserve to be in the top three, there are at least ten people better than him."



1.69-meter tall Messi won his fourth straight Golden Ball award (given to the best footballer on the planet) on January 7.



The Argentinean’s Barcelona teammate, Andres Iniesta, and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo finished as the runners up for the prestigious prize.



Ibrahimovic, who didn’t make it into the top three this year, is well known for his temper and controversial statements.



The PSG star also called Man City player Mario Balotelli a “mediocre” player and made some revealing statements about former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola, in his autobiography.

Zlatan hat-trick seals points

Zlatan Ibrahimovic netted a hat-trick as Paris-Saint Germain beat Valenciennes 4-0 in Ligue 1 on Tuesday.

Ezequiel Lavezzi added a fourth late on, while the in-form Ibrahimovic reached 17 goals for the season.

The Swede joined from AC Milan during the summer, and his latest strikes have enabled PSG to move to within two points of leaders Lyon at the top of the table.

It was the sixth time this season that the 31-year-old has scored two or more goals in the same match.

PSG opened the scoring on 29 thanks to an excellent pass from Javier Pastore who found Jeremy Menez.

His shot was parried by Nicolas Penneteau only for Ibrahimovic to turn in the rebound.

Three minutes after the break, Menez was again the provider as Pastore's strike was saved by Penneteau and Ibrahimovic swept home his second of the night.

Menez conjured up the assist for Ibrahimovic's third in the 53rd minute, as he tapped home for the hat-trick.



Elsewhere, Nice beat nine-man Rennes 1-0 with Daro Cvitanich scoring the only goal from the penalty spot after both Jean-Armel Kana-Biyik and Yassine Jebbour had been sent off.

Zlatan urges Beckham to snub QPR for PSG

David Beckham should forget about a return to the Premier League with QPR and sign for Paris Saint-Germain, according to Zlatan Ibrahimovic.



Former England captain Beckham will play his final game in Major League Soccer when LA Galaxy face Houston Dynamo in the MLS Cup final on December 1, after which he is on the lookout for "one final challenge".



Moves to the Australian A-League and links with West Ham and now QPR, following the appointment of Harry Redknapp as manager, have been suggested as possible destinations for the former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder, but Ibrahimovic believes Beckham would serve the French side's ambitious project well.



"I am sure there will be many offers for him from clubs all over the world, but it is a very exciting project here in Paris and if he still wants more trophies then this is the right club for him to join," Ibrahimovic said.



"We can win the Champions League over the next two seasons with the team that is being built."



Redknapp has also expressed his interest in bringing Beckham to Loftus Road, having invited him to train with Tottenham during the MLS off-season in January 2011.



"I worked with him at Tottenham when he came to train and he is top drawer. He was great," Redknapp said. "He's a top class professional and would be great to have around the place.



"He can set a fantastic example in terms of his approach to training, everything. He's not just a great player, but a great guy as well."

Manchester City hit man wants to join Balotelli

Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has praised his former Inter Milan teammate Mario Balotelli profusely and has claimed that the Italian wants to link up with him at Paris St. Germain.



The striker who recently scored a wonder goal against England in an international friendly spoke to the Italian media, saying that Balotelli, “is a player with great talent and, given his age and has a huge potential. He may be one of the best strikers in the world. He has matured a lot and I think he wants me to play with me again, now at PSG.”



Balotelli is facing a great deal of pressure at Manchester City and seems to be 4th in the pecking order with his consistent lack of professionalism further creating problems between him and City boss Roberto Mancini. The former Inter Milan forward has made just 5 starts this season and he may find himself making a move in January if PSG are able to place a strong bid on the table.



The Italian has scored just 2 goals for his club this season and has failed to make a telling impact on his team’s fortunes, unlike super sub Edin Dzeko. With the likes of AC Milan and Inter Milan also allegedly keen to sign Balotelli, we may well see him the Champions in January.

Ibrahimovic wins Swedish Player of the Year award

The former AC Milan star has successfully defended the title for the fifth successive time.

He has now picked up the award seven times in total Paris Saint-Germain attacker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been named Swedish Player of the Year following his impressive performances throughout 2012.





The powerful attacker netted an impressive 28 goals in 32 Serie A appearances for AC Milan in 2011-12, before leaving the Rossoneri for PSG in the summer transfer window.



He has since developed into a key player at the Ligue 1 giants, and has been rewarded for his fine form with the prestigious individual Swedish award.



"It's proof I have had a good year and that I keep developing as a player. I hope to stand here and say the same thing again next year," the PSG star said on receiving the award.



The trophy is given by Aftonbladet and the Swedish Football Association to the best male Swedish footballer each year.



Ibrahimovic has now won the award seven times in total, and six consecutive times.

Ibra finds 10k-a-week home

Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has finally found a home in France after several months of searching, and will move to an address in Versailles.

 Ibrahimovic and wife attend the Golden Foot Award 2012 ceremony at Monte Carlo Sporting Club.

The Sweden international, on a salary of €14 million a year at the Parc des Princes, will move into a €40,000-a-month property in a private road in Park Chauchard, Le Figaro has reported.



Laurent Demeure, the president of the estate agency that handled the deal, said: "All I can tell you is that Zlatan Ibrahimovic needed a place to rest and rejuvenate.



"At first, he thought about living in one of the more glamorous areas of Paris. He wanted a beautiful Haussmann building with high-tech services and a status equivalent to that of an international five-star hotel, plus parking in the basement."



Reports had said Ibrahimovic was close to moving to the Villa Montmorency, close to the home of the former French president Nicolas Sarkozy.



Since his arrival in the French capital, the forward and his family have lived in Parisian hotels including the InterContinental near the Opera.

Ibrahimovic branded 'ignorant, arrogant and childish' by Faroese captain

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been branded 'arrogant, dirty and childish' by the man who was detailed to mark him during Sweden's narrow 2-1 victory over the Faroe Islands on their new plastic pitch last week.



Faroese captain Frodi Benjaminsen endured a torrid night trying to keep Zlatan and his monolithic ego in check, with the 34-year old centre-back telling Swedish newspaper Expressen:



"He is just so ignorant, someone who just talks a lot and I don't like him. He is so arrogant.



"He talks about other players, talks about himself, what he does and how he plays. He also plays dirty and that is the main reason [I don't like him].



"But we didn't fight – he is not worth it."



Which presumably loosely translates as 'he's a gigantic git, but he's also a gigantic git with a black belt in taekwondo'. Benjaminsen continued, this time in local paper Dimmalaetting:

"He elbowed me just before the interval and when we left the pitch for half-time I asked him what he was doing.



"Just when we got inside he grabbed hold of me and he was belittling our team and me.



"What he said was not nice. He talked about where he is playing and how much he is earning. It was so childish."



Who'd have thought, eh? Turns out Zlatan - the man who constantly refers to himself in the third person and who recently ordained himself 'living legend' - is an egocentric and overly aggressive under all that fluffy loveliness?

Top 10 most expensive players of all time

So here is the world's most expensive football player, Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.



His transfer from Inter to Barcelona came close to breaking the world-record but his subsequent moves to AC Milan and PSG have added to his impressive tally.



Previously he had already joined Inter Milan for just short of £20million, with moves to Ajax and Juventus totalling at £20million.



1.Zlatan Ibrahimovic



Transfers:



Malmö FF to Ajax, £7.440.000



Ajax to Juventus, £12.500.000



Juventus to Inter Milan, £19.300.000



Inter Milan to FC Barcelona, £54.300.000



FC Barcelona to AC Milan, £18.700.000



AC Milan to Paris Saint-Germain £15.600.000



Total transfer fee: £127.840.000



2.Veron

For a man that failed to make an impact in England, he has certainly commanded a huge chunk of money in transfer fees during his career.



The Argentinian midfielder first moved to Europe with Sampdoria and went onto join Parma for £15million and then Lazio for around £26million.



His move to Manchester United cost them £37million, but despite his lack of success at Old Trafford, Chelsea were still happy to pay just under £20million for Veron and he made just 7 league appearances for The Blues.



Transfers:



Estudiantes to Boca Juniors, £1.930.000



Boca Juniors to Sampdoria, £3.000.000



Sampdoria to Parma, £15.400.000



Parma to Lazio, £26.400.000



Lazio to Manchester United, £37.400.000



Manchester United to Chelsea FC, £19.800.000



Inter Milan to Estudiantes, £1.930.000



Total transfer fee: £105.860.000



3.Hernan Crespo

Argentine forward Crespo is another another player who at one time has held the world record for a transfer fee, after moving from Parma to Lazio in 2000.



The combined fee thought to be around £35million was later added to by moves from Lazio to Inter and then Inter onto Chelsea.



Despite having never really settled at any club, Crespo continued to move around and has currently been transferred on 9 occasions.





Transfers:



River Plate to FC Parma, £3.520.000



FC Parma to Lazio, £35.000.000



Lazio to Inter Milan, £31.600.000



Inter Milan to Chelsea FC, £22.800.000



Total transfer fee: £92.920.000



4.Cristiano Ronaldo

In 2009 Ronaldo smashed the world record for the highest paid transfer fee when he left Manchester United for Real Madrid, with an estimated buyout clause of just under £1billion in his contract.



The global icon made his first transfer in 2003 when he left Sporting Lisbon and joined Man United.



With a combined fee of nearly £100million, some could even say it was money well spent!



Transfers:



Sporting Lisbon to Manchester United, £12.240.000



Manchester United to Real Madrid, £80.000.000



Total transfer fee: £92.240.000



5.Ronaldo

He is considered by experts and fans to be perhaps the greatest goalscorer in the history of the sport, this is reflected in how much clubs have been willing to pay for him.



His move to Inter racked up an impressive price tag of £26million, although this was then beaten by his move to Real Madrid for £39million.



Even his transfer from PSV to Barcelona in 1996 for over £13million, was a huge price to pay for the time.





Transfers:



Cruzeiro to PSV Eindhoven, £4.810.000



PSV Eindhoven to FC Barcelona, £13.200.000



FC Barcelona to Inter Milan, £26.600.000



Inter Milan to Real Madrid, £39.600.000



Real Madrid to AC Milan, £6.600.000



Total transfer fee: £90.810.000

6.Nicolas Anelka

Currently player and assistant manager at Shanghai Shenhua, Anelka has certainly had his fair share of clubs in the past.

He started at PSG and left for Arsenal for a mere £500,000, although things were certainly set to change.





His transfers to Real Madrid and back to PSG both eclipsed £20million and subsequent moves to Man City and Chelsea both topped £10million.



Transfers:



Paris Saint-Germain to Arsenal, £500,000



FC Arsenal to Real Madrid, £22.300.000



Real Madrid to Paris Saint-Germain, £20,00.000



Paris Saint-Germain to Manchester City, £13.000.000



Manchester City to Fenerbahce Istanbul, £7.000.000



Fenerbahce Istanbul to Bolton Wanderers, £8.000.000



Bolton Wanderers to FC Chelsea, £15.000.000



Total transfer fee: £85.800.000



7. Robbie Keane

Irishman Robbie Keane has played for 10 clubs so far in his career, with many of them playing top dollar for his services.



His merry-go-round move from Tottenham to Liverpool and back again cost around £35million alone with big money moves to Inter Milan and Leeds also squeezed in before.



He is now plying his trade in the American MLS alongside David Beckham and Landon Donovan at Los Angeles Galaxy.



Transfers:



Wolverhampton Wanderes to Coventry City, £6.000.000



Coventry City to Inter Milan, £13.000.000



Inter Milan to Leeds United, £12.000.000



Leeds United to Tottenham Hotspur, £7.000.000



Tottenham Hotspur to FC Liverpool, £19.000.000



Liverpool to Tottenham Hotspur, £12.000.000



Tottenham Hotspur to LA Galaxy, £3.500.000



Total transfer fee: £72.500.000



8.Christian Vieri

Ten years ago this man was bordering on unstoppable.

The Italian forward, then with Inter Milan, was linked with a move to Chelsea in a deal that would have thrown another £30m onto his already sizeable bill. Vieri instead opted to stay in Italy and finished his career having played for 12 different clubs.



Transfers:



Atalanta to Juventus, £2.200.000



Juventus Atletico Madrid, £13.200.000



Atletico Madrid to Lazio, £22.000.000



Lazio to Inter Milan, £32.000.000





Total transfer fee: £69.400.000



9.Robinho

Robinho seems to thrive on drama and it is this drama that has seen him move around so many times.



He was tipped for big things after joining Real Madrid from Santos in 2005 but after only three years in Spain he found himself in trouble and fled for England with Manchester City.



After starting well at City, things soon went off the boil and he moved to AC Milan after a brief spell back on-loan at Santos.



Transfers:



Santos to Real Madrid, £18.700.000



Real Madrid to Manchester City, £32,500,000



Manchester City to AC Milan, £15,000,000



Total transfer fee: £66.200.000



10. Zinedine Zidane

The footballing genius that was Zinedine Zidane may have only made one big move in his career, but it was enough to see him scrape his way onto the list.



His mega-move from Juventus to Real Madrid in 2001, for a fee thought to be around £53 million, was then the world record and a record that was held for 8 years.



The Galácticos will not have minded as the Frenchman went onto to become one of the greatest players in the club's history.



Transfers:



AS Cannes to Bordeaux, £6.160.000



Bordeaux to Juventus, £3.200.000



Juventus to Real Madrid, £53.000.000



Total transfer fee: £62.360.000

Ibrahimovic PSG Move Lands First Club With €1.5M Training Fee

Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s first club, FBK Balkan, are due to receive €1.5M from Paris Saint-Germain as part of the Swede’s deal to land at the Parc des Princes.



The lower league Swedish outfit are set to pocket the cash as a training fee – and it will be a welcome boost.



FBK Balkan developed a young Ibrahimovic before he left for bigger and more illustrious neighbours Malmo FF, where his career really took off at the top level.



Now the 30-year-old hitman has joined the Qatari-funded revolution at PSG, where he will expect to add to his collection of league winners medals next season.



FBK Balkan meanwhile can look forward to a substantial cheque as credit for bringing through one of the most talented strikers in world football.



In fact, they may well bank more, as Barcelona are thought to still owe the Swedish outfit €1.3M from when they purchased Ibrahimovic in 2009.

Ibrahimovic seals Paris move

Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo has confirmed "the deal is done" to striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic from sign AC Milan.

PSG have already secured Ibrahimovic's former team-mate Thiago Silva as part of a €62m double swoop.

The big-spending French giants narrowly missed out on winning Legue 1 last season to Montpellier, and appear determined to secure the title this time around.

Ibrahimovic has agreed a three-year deal, reported to be €13m-per-annum, and will undergo a medical in Paris on Wednesday.

"We have reached an agreement, the deal is done," Leonardo said. "Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a PSG player, he can write our history."





PSG have scheduled an official press conference at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday afternoon, when the Sweden international is expected to be unveiled.

Ibrahimovic agrees to PSG terms

AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has agreed to join Paris Saint-Germain, the French club's sporting director Leonardo has confirmed.



The Sweden international's agent Mino Raiola has been in the French capital trying to work out a transfer after Milan agreed to sell the 30-year-old striker and team-mate Thiago Silva to PSG.



Leonardo claims that Ibrahimovic has finally agreed to a deal which will see him earn 13 million euros per year, with Italian reports suggesting that the the Swedish ace has cost PSG 23m euros.



"We have reached an agreement, the deal is done," Leonardo told Gazzetta dello Sport.



"Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a PSG player, he can write our history."



Meanwhile, PSG have called a press conference for Wednesday in which Leonardo and president Nasser Al Khelaifi will be in attendance.



It is believed that the purpose of this press conference is to present not only Ibrahimovic, but also Marco Verratti, who joins PSG from Pescara.



Raiola also spoke to reporters outside of PSG's headquarters on Tuesday afternoon, stating: "Everyone is happy, and so is Zlatan.



"With the arrival of Ibra, Paris now has another reason to be considered a city filled with beauty."



The former Barcelona striker, who signed for Milan on a permanent deal last off-season after 12 months on loan at San Siro, scored 56 goals in all competitions for the Rossoneri.

Ibrahimovic PSG deal close to completion

Zlatan Ibrahimovic's agent is hopeful the AC Milan striker will complete his move to Paris Saint-Germain soon, saying Sunday that Serie A is about to lose its last remaining star.



Thiago Silva signed a five-year contract with PSG on Saturday and Mino Raiola is in discussions with the big-spending club for Ibrahimovic to join his former Milan teammate.



"Everyone asks me if it is 90 or 99 percent done. But these percentage stories don't interest me," Raiola tells French newspaper L'Equipe. "In my mind, you have a deal, or you don't. There is nothing in between.



"Today, nothing is finalized yet. We will keep working on this deal. I insist on one point: in a contract, every detail is important. But I really hope to reach an agreement with PSG. This weekend is a time for reflection."



PSG has yet to agree to Ibrahimovic's salary demands with the stumbling block thought to be the French 75 percent tax on wages above a million euros ($1.23 million) per year.



Ibrahimovic joined Milan from Barcelona on loan in 2010 and the move was made permanent the following season. The 30-year-old was Serie A's top goalscorer last season - a feat he also achieved with Inter Milan in 2009.



The Sweden captain spent three seasons at Inter and two at Juventus, winning the Serie A title every year - although the two he won with Juventus were later revoked because of the match-fixing scandal.



Ibrahimovic also won the Dutch league twice with Ajax and the Spanish title with Barcelona before lifting another Serie A trophy with Milan.



"Zlatan will make Ligue 1 more interesting and his departure will make Serie A poorer," Raiola says. "When he goes, there will not be any more big names left in Italy. For me Zlatan is the best player in the world, he has a winning spirit. He is a player who, on his own, can light up a stadium. I hope the French fans will appreciate him.



"His arrival at PSG would be an exceptional event. Usually, we only see this kind of deal in England. Now, it is possible in Paris, this fascinating and magnificent capital."

Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva Being Sold to PSG Admits Silvio Berlusconi

Silvio Berlusconi has confirmed that AC Milan have accepted an offer from French side Paris Saint-Germain, believed to be around €65M, for duo Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva.



The future of both players at the Serie A giants has been in doubt this summer and Berlusconi has finally decided to let the pair leave the San Siro outfit.



Thiago Silva was the first to be linked with PSG when the Ligue 1 outfit launched an audacious bid of €46M for the Brazilian. However, the Rossoneri management rejected the bid and the player signed a contract extension at the club to show his commitment, extending until 2017.



Then, it was Ibrahimovic’s turn to be linked with PSG when Rossoneri vice-president Adriano Galliani released a statement regarding the striker’s future at the club saying ‘anything is possible’.



And just yesterday, PSG took their cue and made a €65M offer for the duo of Silva and Ibrahimovic.



It can now be confirmed that after some deliberation, the Rossoneri president has accepted the bid.



"Yes, I have decided to sell Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva”, announced the AC Milan president. “We will save 150 million euros over two years”, he added.



Now, all that remains is for the players to agree personal terms with the French outfit.



Sources have indicated that Brazilian Silva has already agreed contract terms with Les Parisiens, while Ibrahimovic and his agent are in talks and should be able to come to an agreement in the coming days.



The sale of the Swedish striker and the Brazilian defender will weaken the Italian giants considerably and it remains to be seen how the Rossoneri management reinvest the money they receive from the wealthy French club.

Zlatan to continue Sweden career

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has pledged to continue his international career with Sweden, already looking ahead to the 2014 World Cup after an early exit at the European Championship.



Sweden was eliminated from Euro 2012 after losing to Ukraine and England in its first two group games, leading some to wonder whether the 30-year-old Ibrahimovic, who has taken breaks from international duty in the past, would return to the team when World Cup qualifying starts.



But “Ibra” said he has no plans on quitting just yet.



“I’ll continue with the national team, absolutely,” he said at a news conference. “I’m still motivated and I want a lot more. This doesn’t mean anything in my mind. It just makes me more motivated.”



At a news conference on Sunday, the AC Milan forward said “I’ll continue with the national team, absolutely,” adding that “I’m still motivated and I want a lot more.”



Despite transfer rumours, Ibrahimovic said he expects to stay in Milan for the remaining two years of his contract.



“I want to get better than I am, and I want to continue to develop,” he said.



Ibrahimovic was seen as the key for Sweden to make a run at the Euros, but few have blamed him for the team’s failure, as defensive mistakes were largely at fault for a 2-1 loss to Ukraine and 3-2 defeat against England. Ibrahimovic gave Sweden the lead against the Ukrainians, but was held scoreless for the first time in five internationals against England.



“Physically and mentally I’ve felt really good,” Ibrahimovic said. “But what good is that when you don’t win? I’d rather win and not play well than to play well and not win.”

Ibrahimovic claims superior Swedes

Zlatan Ibrahimovic said Sweden were the better team in their 3-2 defeat to England, which knocked the Swedes out of Euro 2012.



The defeat means Sweden go into their final game of the tournament against group leaders France, without a hope of qualifying for the quarter-finals. Ibrahimovic feels Sweden produced a much improved display than the loss against Ukraine in their opening match, and that their performance on Friday deserved at least a point.



"I think we were the better team against England. I really do," he told Uefa.com.



"We should be proud of ourselves because we played a good game. We played the opposite way to the first one.



"We showed more courage and were much better in dead-ball situations. We played just the way we wanted to play.



"In both the games we have played, we were in the lead, but after 60 minutes, we lost it all.



"Why did we lose both games? I don't know. That is something we need to analyse and see what we need to do better, or in a different way."