Andy Carroll has aimed a brutal dig at Zlatan Ibrahimovic after the Swedish legend posted a picture of gruesome head injury to social media.
The pair cut an uncanny resemblance, with both sporting a distinctive ponytail. However, it is safe to say Carroll struggled to match Ibrahimovic’s performances on the pitch.
The Swede played for some of Europe’s biggest clubs, such as AC Milan, Juventus, Inter Milan, Ajax, PSG, Barcelona and Manchester United. He also enjoyed a stint at Major League Soccer (MLS) side LA Galaxy between 2018 and 2019, and is currently in an ‘advisory role’ at AC Milan.
WARNING: Graphic image below.
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As for Carroll, he burst onto the scene at his hometown club, Newcastle United, making his debut in 2006.
His impressive performances earned a £35m move to Liverpool in 2011 but he failed to live up to the heights expected of him, lasting less than two years at Anfield.
Spells at West Ham United, a return to Newcastle in 2019, and dropping down a league to Championship sides Reading and West Brom followed.
He left English football in 2023, signing for second-tier French side Amiens before moving to fourth-tier Bordeaux in the summer transfer window.
Both Carroll and Ibrahimovic are well known for their combative style of play, which naturally leads to occasional injuries.
On Sunday, Ibrahimovic took to Instagram to post two pictures of a large gash on his head with the caption "part of the game".
Surprisingly, Carroll weighed in with a comment of his own.
“Grow up, I’ve had worse from the missus,” he wrote.
The duo faced each other twice during Ibrahimovic's time as a professional – at Euro 2012 and in a Premier League fixture between West Ham and Manchester United in 2016-27. But nothing of note happened during the fixtures to suggest any bad blood between the two.
Carroll’s relationship with his wife, The Only Way is Essex' star Billie Mucklow, has been a topic of interest lately - with the pair reportedly separating, according to the Mirror.
And fans could not help but have their say on Carroll's comment.
One joked: “Zlatan doesn’t get pain, the pain gets Zlatan.”
With a second saying: “If you ended up like this, I don’t want to think about how the other one ended up…”
A third added: “The moon fell down, and Zlatan put it back up with the header.”
When Carroll initially moved to France, it raised a few eyebrows, but he spoke of his motivations behind the switch in an interview with Daily Mail in 2023.
"I wanted a challenge," he explained.
"A challenge in a completely different country. A fresh start. I spoke to my agent and said, 'Get me a club abroad.'"
"I'm content," he added.
"For the last few years, I just feel I know who I am, and I'm comfortable. No one can put me back where I was."
Topics: Andy Carroll, Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Luke Davies