Ibrahimovic almost joined Real Madrid for spite

ByStanford Crissey|

via the Associated Press

The Paris Saint-Germain star wanted to spite Barcelona and Pep Guardiola, almost joined rival Real Madrid

We’ve all wanted to do something out of spite at some point or another. Maybe you lose your job, or get forced out; you might want to get to work for the company’s rival, or otherwise sabotage them in some way. Then, when the initial furor has worn off and you come back to your senses, you go do something that makes more sense.

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That’s apparently what happened to Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The soccer star clashed with manager Pep Guardiola during his time with Barcelona in 2009, and ended up leaving the club after one season under Guardiola.

Ibrahimovic’s manager, Mino Raiola, now says that the star almost joined Barca’s bitter rivals, Real Madrid, out of sheer spite for his former manager, via Fox Sports Soccer.

“Zlatan wanted to play for Real when he left Barca. It would have been the ideal move. The perfect revenge against Guardiola,” Raiola said.

Ibrahimovic, who now plays for Paris Saint-Germain, spent just one year with Barcelona after a high-profile transfer.

“It would have been the perfect club for him because he’s a great player, he’s passionate and because he can do something amazing at any moment.”

Instead of seeking revenge, Ibrahimovic moved on to AC Milan in 2010.

Guardiola became Barcelona’s manager in 2008, and during his time there the club achieved the sextuple (six trophies in six competitions, including the Champions League trophy and the FIFA Club World Cup). In 2012 he “retired” from managing the club, but soon returned to coaching with Bayern Munich, a position he still holds.

Raiola insists that the manager was to blame for Ibrahimovic’s short stint with the prestigious club, describing Guardiola’s behavior there as “shocking.”

“Only ‘The Philosopher’ [Guardiola’s nickname] knows [What happened between them],” he said. “As a person, his behaviour was terrible, shocking. He’s a great coach. He was calling Zlatan for one year. About 10 times. At Barcelona he told him whatever he needed or wanted he would be helped with. Then all of a sudden he stopped talking to him.”

Ibrahimovic claimed at the time of his departure that his manager had not spoken to him in six months. If that’s the case, his desire to get revenge is understandable. However, we really don’t know the full story of what went on between the two of them; as Raiola said, only Ibrahimovic and Guardiola really know.

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