Zlatan Ibrahimovic snubbed Rio Ferdinand and John Terry when naming 'most complete defender' he shared a pitch with

Zlatan Ibrahimovic did not mention Rio Ferdinand or John Terry when he named the ‘most complete defender’ he shared a pitch with during his playing career.

Ibrahimovic, 43, got the better of even the top defenders on his day, but some centre-backs pushed him to the limit.

The Swede played for several iconic clubs – including Juventus, Ajax, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Barcelona and Manchester United – during his trophy-laden playing career, registering 496 goals and 202 assists in 827 club appearances before retiring in 2023.

In terms of attackers, he has played with and against some of the very best, such as Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho, and Cristiano Ronaldo, but which five defenders did he name as the ‘strongest’, dubbing one as ‘the most complete’ defender he played with and against?

The likes of Carles Puyol, Gerard Pique and Sergio Ramos may come to mind, but none of these made Zlatan's top five.

“There are many, if one played in Italy, he played against many strong defenders," said Ibrahimovic in an interview with Corriere TV in 2021 [via Milan News].

"Ten years the defenders were worse, there was not even the VAR.

“If I have to name names, I say Paolo Maldini, Nesta, Stam, Chiellini, Thiago Silva…”

"When I was playing with him [Silva], I said that I have an Ibrahimovic in defence," he added.

Thiago Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Credit:Getty)

"He was the most complete defender; he knew how to do everything. Then we also went to Paris together, we won together. He is a top defender.”

The pair played together on 195 occasions - for Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan – and the Brazilian is still plying his trade in his native country for Fluminense having left Premier League outfit Chelsea at the end of the 2023/24 campaign.

Silva, 40, signed for PSG in 2012 - the same year as Zlatan. He revealed what the Swede said to him when he learnt they were linking up in Paris.

"Immediately after I signed with PSG, Zlatan called me to ask if I had really signed,” Silva told Calcio Mercato in 2019.

“I said yes, and he said: 'No joke, eh? If you don't go, I won't sign, and if you lie to me, I'll come and get you’."