Many People Believe Zlatan Ibrahimovic Is Responsible For Scoring 'Worst Hat-Trick Of All Time'
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Fans believe Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored 'the worst hat-trick of all time' when he single-handedly guided Manchester United to victory in a Europa League clash against St-Etienne.
On February 16, 2017, the experienced forward walked away with the match ball at Old Trafford after playing a crucial role in the last-32 tie at Old Trafford.
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Ibrahimovic, who scored 29 goals in 53 games during his brief spell at United, opened his account with an incredibly fortunate free-kick that wrong-footed goalkeeper Stephane Ruffier and somehow dribbled over the line.
Jose Mourinho's side continued to dominate in large spells and in the 75th minute, former Paris Saint-Germain forward Ibrahimovic put the tie to bed with a close-range finish.
Then, after being brought down in the area with minutes remaining, the Swede stepped up before slotting home his 17th professional hat-trick. It definitely wasn't pretty but he got the job done.
This literally is the worst hat-trick of all time https://t.co/RIkYGzYi17
— Haz (@_Hazpilicueta) February 16, 2022
Ibrahimovic completed a highly-anticipated move to United in the summer of 2016 after his contract at Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain expired. It was seen as a big coup.
The striker, who reportedly picked up a £200,000-a-week wage, would go on to be a huge success under Jose Mourinho, scoring 17 goals in 28 appearances during his first season at the club.
He would lift the Europa League, League Cup and Community Shield with the Reds but years later, he would open up about his far from perfect experience at Old Trafford.
In his autobiography Adrenaline, the outspoken 40-year-old revealed what surprised him during that time with "one of the richest and most powerful clubs in the world" - and it makes for fascinating reading.
"One thing surprised me: everyone thinks of United as a top club, one of the richest and most powerful in the world and seen from the outside it looked that way to me," he writes.
"But once I was there I found a small, closed mentality."
Ibrahimovic went on to speak about the £1 fruit juice incident, as well as showing his papers just to get into the club's training ground facility at Carrington.
"One day I was in the hotel with the team before a game. I got thirsty so I opened the mini-bar and had a fruit juice," he said.
"We played and then went home. Some time went by. My payslip arrives. Normally I don't look at it. I only do so at the end of the year to see what's come in and what's gone out. But that time, I don't know why, I was curious and realised they'd taken a pound off my monthly wage."
Featured Image Credit: @EuropaLeague/Twitter
Topics: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Manchester United, Europa League
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