Zlatan Ibrahimovic picked Lionel Messi in outrageous 'dream' XI of ex-teammates as image of team 'leaked

Zlatan Ibrahimovic's dream XI was leaked and it included himself and Lionel Messi among other big names.

The former Sweden striker retired from football in June 2023 and took up as a role as senior advisor to AC Milan, who he enjoyed two spells with during his glittering career.

Ibrahimovic also turned out for Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United and shared a dressing room with some of the very best players to ever play the game.

Because of his incredible longevity and the fact he played for top clubs in multiple countries, putting together an XI of former teammates is undoubtedly a tricky task for Ibrahimovic.

However the 43-year-old gave it a go, with Sky Italia posting an image of the team he scribbled down on a piece of paper.

Ibrahimovic clearly had a tough time selecting his side as there were some scribbles but his choices may well have resulted in the most wonderfully assembled team possible.

In goal, he opted for Italy icon Gianluigi Buffon, who he played with at Juve. Lilian Thuram, Thiago Silva, Alessandro Nesta and Maxwell formed a truly solid backline which attackers would struggle to bypass.

In midfield, Ibrahimovic had Xavi controlling the game alongside Patrick Vieira - with Ballon d'Or winner Pavel Nedved providing the creative spark.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic's dream team. Image: Sky Italia

But Nedved is not the only genius in the side as Ibrahimovic selected Barcelona icons Ronaldinho and Messi in a glorious front three which was fittingly rounded off by the man himself - the only player to score in the Champions League with six different teams.

On the bench, Julio Cesar and David de Gea were both in contention for the goalkeeping berth - while greats Andres Iniesta and Fabio Cannavaro narrowly missed out.

Ibrahimovic rates himself higher than Messi and Ronaldo

The Malmo academy product has never been short of confidence and during an interview with Piers Morgan for Talk TV, he as asked to rank himself in a list of all-time great players.

Ibrahimovic asked what the list would be based off and when "individual quality" was mentioned, he said: "I think I am the best... without joking."

After claiming he is better than Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, he then added: "I'm the most complete player that ever exists."