Zlatan Ibrahimovic Reveals The Two Young Stars That He Admires Most
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Zlatan Ibrahimovic has revealed the two young players he admires the most, singling out Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland for praise in a fascinating interview with CBS Sports.
The Swedish superstar offered high praise for Mbappe in particular, comparing the Frenchman to a certain former Brazilian striker.
"Mbappe is a reminder of Ronaldo the Fenômeno. ... In Haaland I see this intelligence, he just wants to score goals."@Ibra_official reveals the two young stars he admires most. :star2:
- CBS Sports Golazo :soccer: (@CBSSportsGolazo) December 16, 2021
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He said: "I like elegant players, ones that are as complete as possible. When you're a football player, you can see other players, the way they think, the way they move. I like those players that predict things before they happen.
"I think Mbappe is a reminder of Ronaldo the Fenômeno - he's very elegant in his game. When you talk about young players, you talk about Haaland.
"Haaland is good because I think he is obsessed with goals, and he's not doing more than he needs to do. He's only focusing on goals, and sometimes you have players that think they can do more than they're able to - that is not intelligence.
"In Haaland, I see this intelligence, as he just wants to score goals and he knows he can score goals. He's only trying to do that."
Mbappe is enjoying another fine season after netting 13 goals in 23 appearances across all competitions for Paris Saint Germain, most recently scoring a brace in a 2-0 win over Monaco on Sunday.
Those 13 goals also include four strikes in the Champions League, after netting another brace in a 4-1 win over Club Brugge and a goal each against Manchester City and RB Leipzig.
Meanwhile, Ibrahimovic is right when he says Haaland is obsessed with goals, as the Norwegian has managed an astonishing 19 goals in 15 appearances across all competitions for Borussia Dortmund so far this campaign.
The record is all the more remarkable considering how the 21-year-old has struggled with injuries this season, as a hip problem kept him on the sidelines for over a month.
Let's hope that Haaland and Mbappe take us into a golden new age of goalscoring for many years to come.
