'I told Pep Guardiola I'd burn him in furious spat – I lost my head'

Zlatan Ibrahimovic recalled a particularly intense bust-up with Pep Guardiola during their Barcelona days and claimed he “lost his head” during one dressing room bust-up. The Swedish striker joined the Spanish club in 2009 and won the league title, as well as the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.

However, despite domestic glory with Barca, Ibrahimovic’s relationship with then-boss Guardiola wasn’t so successful – and they ended up butting heads on several occasions. Speaking on Piers Morgan’s YouTube series “Uncensored” in 2023, the iconic striker wasn’t shy about discussing his turbulent spell at Camp Nou.

Ibrahimovic said: “I noticed it was not about me performing any more. In my opinion, he felt offended for me saying to him, I needed more space in the way I wanted to play.”

As Morgan suggested that Guardiola may have been “punishing” Ibrahimovic at the time, the player agreed as he said: “Which was okay, he is the coach. Bad results, he leaves, the player stays, and I respect that, but be open to me, be direct to me so we understand each other.”

After being left frustrated by being benched consecutively in four matches, Ibrahimovic defied Guardiola’s order to avoid driving his Ferrari to training – a bold move that aimed to provoke a reaction from the Spanish tactician.

“Fourth game, bench, then I started to make noise because it was not okay for me any more,” he said. “The fourth game I bring my f***ing Ferrari, I bring Enzo Ferrari, and I knew it will create another situation. So I parked the car in front of his office. So you f*** with me, I f*** with you, that was my motto.

“In front of his office. I said, ‘you want to play with fire? I will bring you fire, but I will burn you’. Obviously he is the coach, because what punished most the players, player if he doesn’t play, because obviously you want to play, but the boss is the coach. But in that moment I understood this will not be okay.”

Yet there was no immediate argument between the pair as they opted to steer clear of one another. “He would not say nothing to me, because he would avoid me,” Ibrahimovic revealed.

In his autobiography, “I Am Zlatan Ibrahimovic”, the Swede delivered even harsher criticism towards Guardiola, as he said: “I completely lost it, and you might have expected Guardiola to say a few words in response.

“He just picked up the metal box, like a little caretaker, and then left, never to mention it again, not a word.”

Ibrahimovic would later meet back up with Guardiola in the Premier League, as the striker joined Manchester United at the same time that the Spaniard took charge of Manchester City. However, the pair didn’t interact during this period – and the Swede also noted that they still don’t speak to this day.

The former striker said: “Don’t get me wrong, I think he is an amazing coach. What he’s doing, he’s changed the game 100 per cent, he’s been very successful.”