Ibrahimovic vs Lukaku ll

Zlatan Ibrahimovic was already irritated with Romelu Lukaku, thinking that his one-time Manchester United colleague and now Serie A rival had actually tried to present himself as the new king of their domain. It was October 2020, Ibrahimovic remained in the red-and-black of Milan, Lukaku the blue-and-black of Internazionale and the former had actually drawn very first blood in the first Milan derby of the 2020-21 season, scoring twice in a 2-1 win. "Milan has never had a king, simply a god," Ibrahimovic tweeted, in trademark self-effacing style.

It was never ever going to take much for tempers to flare when next they met. The way that Ibrahimovic tells it in his new book, Adrenaline: My Untold Stories, it is unapologetically his side of the story. It started when Lukaku argued with Alexis Saelemaekers, the young Milan midfielder, in the 45th minute of last January's Coppa Italia quarter-final at San Siro.

Ibrahimovic, as his team's leader and senior professional, understood that he needed to action in and he informed Lukaku to pipe down. "What'll you do if I don't?" Lukaku replied. "I'm going to break every bone in your body if you open your mouth," Ibrahimovic said.

It was on, the players bumping heads and trading insults, with Ibrahimovic, in his words, choosing Lukaku's achilles heel. "Go inform your mother to do a voodoo spell for you," he shouted.

After Lukaku had actually left Everton in 2017 for United, having at first wanted to join Chelsea, it was said by Farhad Moshiri, Everton's majority shareholder, that the player did so after receiving a voodoo message. Moshiri inferred that Lukaku's mom had actually encouraged him to take the guidance. Lukaku has actually hotly denied this.

According to the Swede, Lukaku saw red as the players headed for the interval and yelled at him from a range: "I'm going to put 3 bullets in your head."

In spite of Ibrahimovic being up for a physical battle in the tunnel, it did not happen. At which point, consider what occurred next to Ibrahimovic. He was sent off in the 58th minute for a second yellow card and Inter won 2-1, having been 1-0 down at half-time, Lukaku scoring the equaliser.

The following month, Inter beat Milan 3-0 in the league, Lukaku once again on target. And, in early May, Inter picked up their very first title since 2010. "The genuine god has crowned the king," Lukaku tweeted. "Now bow down."

It was a tough period for Ibrahimovic as he suffered injuries while his personal physio therapist likewise got Covid. "Could it have been that Lukaku had carried out some voodoo ritual to hurt me?" Ibrahimovic reflected. But what he was perfectly clear about was his need for vengeance.

" In my mind, I decided that I needed to settle things with Lukaku out on the pitch, the same way I had finished with [Marco] Materazzi," he continued in a nod to his long-running feud with the former Italy defender. "Unfortunately, he left Serie A [in the summer of 2021 for Chelsea] and we didn't meet them in the Champions League. But there will be other opportunities ..."

Such as this coming season, it turns out, with the Belgian back at Inter on loan from Chelsea and Ibrahimovic having actually extended his contract at Milan for a more year, in spite of a knee injury that is anticipated to keep him out till January. The second Milan derby of the league campaign is scheduled for the very first weekend in February.

A pointer about Ibrahimovic's history with Materazzi: in 2005, Ibrahimovic was at Juventus and he had been injured by a scissor-tackle from the Italian, then at Inter. Ibrahimovic pledged vengeance and he got it in 2010 when he was at Milan for his first spell, with Materazzi still at Inter. Contesting a 50-50 ball in the derby, he jumped into Materazzi and cracked him hard throughout the temple with his elbow, putting just enough camouflage on it to make it appear like a regular clash. Materazzi was required to health center.

" This is how things operate in my world-- you always remember and you wait patiently for the correct time to retaliate," Ibrahimovic said. "I informed myself over and over: 'When I get my hands on him, I'll harm him terribly-- so severely that he'll remember what he did to me.' And I'll take my vengeance in the light of day, making my intentions and intentions perfectly clear to everyone."

There is a reason "Adrenaline" is written in huge letters across the cover of Ibrahimovic's book. He is addicted to it, he seeks it in every challenge and he likes to stir it by casting himself as having a score to settle. Such as against the English, who he felt had actually disrespected him as he laboured to score against Premier League clubs during the first-half of his career.

Ibrahimovic would rip up the story with his 4 goals in Sweden's 4-2 win over England in 2012, including that overhead kick. "One day I'll develop myself a museum and the football from the bike kick against England will delight in pride of place," he said.

Ibrahimovic's ego is stamped across every chapter of the book; at the age of 40, it reveals no sign of softening. The recommendations to himself as a god or an angel or Superman are matter of fact due to the fact that, on Planet Zlatan, there is no arrogance, merely straight-talking and fact; his truth.

" Hakan Calhanoglu is a wonderful kid," Ibrahimovic composed of his former Milan teammate, who went to Inter last summer. "He grew and developed immensely, thanks to me. Now the only challenge facing him is this: 'Will I have the ability to achieve the exact same things without Ibra?'".

Adrenaline by Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The book is funny and entertaining, containing love for his loved ones, particularly his other half, Helena, his sons, Maximilian and Vincent, and his representative, Mino Raiola, who passed away in April, and drive-bys for his enemies. Pep Guardiola, who could not manage his personality at Barcelona, is an inevitable target, Ibrahimovic keeping in mind that "The 'Philosopher' chooses players who obey without talking back.".

Ibrahimovic's core values recur. Be yourself, warts and all. Offer whatever. Be prepared to suffer, to walk on fire. Grow on it. The anecdotes, on the other hand, abound. He details the lack of discipline at Paris Saint-Germain and the odd, petty-minded administration at United.

Ibrahimovic stated that he was as soon as docked ? 1 from his salaries for taking a fruit juice from the mini-bar at the team hotel while he rapidly tired of being asked to reveal ID on his way into the training school. "I 'd inform the person at eviction: 'Listen, pal, I've been coming here every day for the past month now. I'm the world's best football player. If you still don't identify me, you're in the wrong line of work.'".

Ibrahimovic knows that he does not have actually long left as a player and there is rare vulnerability when he confesses the prospect of retirement terrifies him. How will he get his adrenaline fixes? Prior to then, though, there is a physical fitness fight to win, more goals to score, another title to chase after. And a fight with Lukaku.

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