Hakan Calhanoglu has ripped into Zlatan Ibrahimovic after the Swedish legend mocked him during AC Milan’s title parade.
Turkish star Calhanoglu and Ibrahimovic were team mates at Milan during the 20/21 campaign.
Controversially, Calhanoglu decided to see out his contract and then made the dreaded move to Inter Milan at the start of the 21/22 season.
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Unsurprisingly, the move did not go down well amongst the Milan fan base and players, and when Milan pipped Inter to the Serie A crown in May, Ibrahimovic made sure Calhanoglu knew about it.
The 40-year-old took the microphone during the title parade and said to the fans: “Hey, send a message to Hakan.”
The crowd booed and hurled insults after Ibrahimovic’s request.
Zlatan chiede ai tifosi un messaggio per Hakan 🤷🏻♂️
And now, Calhanoglu has responded to Ibrahimovic’s antics during the title celebrations.
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He said to Tivibu Spor, per football-italia: “He is a 40-year-old man, not 18, so I wouldn’t do that sort of thing at his age. He just likes being the centre of attention. He didn’t contribute to the Scudetto this season, he barely played, but will do everything to be the focus anyway.”
“Besides, he is the one who always calls me up, asks me to go out to dinner or for a motorbike ride. He wrote about me in his book too. He had to write something, or it would’ve been blank pages. It’s best not to bother, honestly.”
Calhanoglu then hit out at the Milan fans, saying that they did not chant his name once during his four year stay at the club.
He said: “I am very happy at Inter, though, and the support of the fans is very helpful. I played at Milan for four years, but nobody ever chanted my name in the stands, whereas it happens every time I just warm up for Inter.”
🗣️" He likes to get attention. He had no contribution this year, he did not play at all. But he does everything to attract the attention of the fans. That's how he lives. He is 40. If I was 40 I wouldn't do those things." -Hakan Calhanoglu on Zlatan
The Turkish international then claimed that Inter are a much better side than their bitter rivals, despite losing out on the title.
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Calhanoglu said: “Inter are a much stronger squad than Milan.”
“We lost a derby that changed suddenly at the 75th minute after Ivan Perisic and I were substituted. We were leading 1-0 and then lost 2-1, so the coach contributed to the defeat and I told him as much.”
He added: “In the Coppa Italia semi-final, we beat Milan 3-0.”
Will Ibrahimovic respond to Calhanoglu's comments? Only time will tell.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Football, Serie A, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, AC Milan, Inter Milan