• Football
  • Boxing
  • UFC
  • Home
  • Football
    • England
    • Transfer News
    • Premier League
    • Champions League
    • Lionel Messi
    • Cristiano Ronaldo
    • EA FC 25
    • Wrexham
  • Boxing
    • Tyson Fury
    • Anthony Joshua
    • Oleksandr Usyk
    • Mike Tyson
    • Jake Paul
    • Logan Paul
  • UFC
    • Dana White
    • Conor McGregor
    • Khabib Nurmagomedov
    • Jon Jones
    • Paddy Pimblett
    • Joe Rogan
  • Other Sport
    • Athletics
    • Formula 1
    • MMA
    • Motorsport
    • NBA
    • Darts
    • NFL
    • Snooker
    • Wrestling
    • Tennis
    • Cricket
    • Golf
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • UNILAD
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube
Zlatan Ibrahimovic picked Lionel Messi in outrageous 'dream' XI of ex-teammates as image of team 'leaked

Home> Football> Football News

Updated 06:30 31 Jan 2025 GMTPublished 20:28 30 Jan 2025 GMT

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

Zlatan Ibrahimovic's dream team is packed with huge names, including Lionel Messi and himself.

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

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.

Advert

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
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."

Featured Image Credit: Getty & Sky Italia

Topics: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Lionel Messi, Barcelona

Josh Lawless
Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and WWE. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has covered two WrestleMania events for SPORTbible.

X

@joshlawless_

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

4 hours ago
5 hours ago
6 hours ago
  • Getty
    4 hours ago

    Thomas Frank Gives Immediate Update on His Future After Newcastle Defeat

    Tottenham Hotspur were beaten by Newcastle United in the Premier League.

    Football
  • Sky Sports
    4 hours ago

    Paul Merson Left Gobsmacked By Cole Palmer's 'Miss Of The Season' vs Leeds

    The Chelsea star amazingly missed a huge opportunity to win the match in the dying moments.

    Football
  • KICK
    5 hours ago

    The United Strand's Immediate Reaction as Man Utd Draw vs West Ham

    Manchester United took on West Ham United at the London Stadium.

    Football
  • United Strand/Kick
    6 hours ago

    The United Strand Left Stunned as West Ham Score First Goal vs Man Utd

    Frank Ilett, The United Strand, was in shock as West Ham United took the lead against Manchester United.

    Football
  • Zlatan Ibrahimovic didn't hesitate when asked to pick between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the GOAT debate
  • Zinedine Zidane left out player who 'deserved to win Ballon d'Or over Lionel Messi' when picking dream XI
  • Zinedine Zidane left out player who 'deserved to win Ballon d'Or over Lionel Messi' when picking dream XI
  • The one and only time Zlatan Ibrahimovic backed down from a fight in his career was against a Premier League legend