Patrick Vieira told pal Zlatan Ibrahimovic to turn down Man Utd boss Jose Mourinho
PATRICK VIEIRA warned Zlatan Ibrahimovic NOT to join Manchester United in 2016 – because he feared he might damage his legacy.
The Arsenal legend became friendly with the Swedish superstar when they played together in Serie A at Juventus and Inter Milan.
In 2016, at the age of 34, then PSG striker Ibrahimovic had an offer on the table from United boss Jose Mourinho.
His first telephone call for advice was to the Frenchman Vieira but he was sternly persuaded not to move to Old Trafford.
Vieira, 42, now the Nice manager, said: “When a move to Manchester United came up, he came to me for advice.
“I told him it wouldn’t be easy, that it was going to be a challenge. Then again Zlatan has never made life easy for himself.”
Ibrahimovic, who won 11 league titles in four different countries, says the negativity he encountered over the Premier League only compelled him to take up the challenge.
He said: “I got a message from Mourinho: ‘Come over here and conquer England.’
“Patrick Vieira was one of the people I rang to talk things over. He immediately advised me against going to the Premier League. And he wasn’t the only one.
“Lots of other people told me I didn’t need to do it, that I had nothing to prove.
“In the end though, their telling me to let it go just spurred me on to do it. Everyone said, ‘no, there’s no need, it’s too much of a risk,’ and that wound me up.
“So I replied to Mourinho: ‘You just send me a ticket and I’ll be straight over.’”
LA Galaxy star Ibrahimovic says in his latest book that Vieira “made me a better player and he had the work rate of a horse”.
He claims the former Gunners enforcer had “the biggest influence” on his game.
Vieira dismisses a long-held story he and Ibrahimovic had a fist-fight in their early days together at Juventus, saying that no punches were thrown.
He said: “There were rumours of a training ground fight, but we never hit each other.
“There was an almighty row between us, though.
“Zlatan is difficult, he’s really difficult: when you play to feet he wants it on his chest, when you play it in the air he wants it on the deck. He’s very hard to please. That’s just part of his personality.
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“That row brought us closer together, because we gained a lot of respect for each other. He showed me who he was, I showed him who I am and we ended up very good friends.
“He’s funny, he likes a laugh, he’s silly, he’s like a big kid.
“As a player, he’s got it all. He’s complete. Strong, able to hold the ball up, good with his back to goal, quick… he can use space, he’s good one-on-one, in the air, good with his feet – I see him as the prototype footballer of the future.”
“His path is flanked with trouble, but that’s part of his personality, he loves to be controversial. He hates injustices, wants the world to be as he would like it, demands it, even.”
I AM FOOTBALL – Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Viking, £25, out now
