John Terry has wasted no time in sending a message to current AC Milan director Zlatan Ibrahimovic after comments attributed to the former Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona forward re-emerged. During a lengthy playing career, the two titans of European football regularly found themselves competing for honours.
In seven meetings between Chelsea and Ibrahimovic – who played two of those for Manchester United, the rest for PSG, and missed both Champions League ties in 2022/23 due to injury – the Swedish giant came out on top four times. In a three-year run, he was up against Terry directly in the Champions League knockout stages.
Ultimately it was Ibrahimovic who had the last laugh. After seeing his team blow a 3-1 first-leg lead in the 2013/14 last-16 – Chelsea fans will remember the return game at Stamford Bridge for Demba Ba’s late winner – the well-travelled striker got the better of the next two ties.
PSG came from the brink of elimination in 2014/15 thanks to goals from David Luiz and Thiago Silva – a game in which Ibrahimovic was sent off early on – and then had met less resistance one season later. Ibrahimovic managed a goal in both matches on this occasion, assisting in the second leg as well.
The 43-year-old never won the Champions League, though, despite playing most of his career at sides pining to be victorious on Europe’s biggest stage. Terry, on the other hand, was crowned a Champions League winner in 2012.
That was the cherry on top of a massive cake for the former Blues captain. Across a glittering playing career he won 13 domestic trophies as well as the Champions League and Europa League.
Quotes posted online by the page 365scores purportedly from Ibrahamovic got a response from Terry. “Chelsea couldn’t sign me,” he is reported to have said. “I have more trophies than Chelsea. I should have been the one to sign them.”
Now at Milan in a non-playing role, Ibrahimovic boasts 22 major trophies plus multiple domestic Super Cup wins. In 2017 he claimed the Europa League with Manchester United and also took home the Club World Cup at Barcelona in 2010.
According to Terry, who hit back at Ibrahmovic’s supposed suggestion, there was no place for the forward at SW6. “He didn’t want to be on the bench. [blue heart and trophy emojis]” Terry responded with. Terry also tagged Didier Drogba with a crown emoji after he led the line for Chelsea across two spells and almost 10 years, scoring over 100 times.
