Former Milan, Juve, and Inter coach Alberto Zaccheroni says AC Milan striker, Zlatan Ibrahimovic makes more difference in his team than Cristiano Ronaldo of Juventus.
The former Inter coach, who described the lanky striker as eternal noted that he shifts the balance more than Ronaldo does in Serie A.
Speaking with Il Giornale, Zaccheroni, who noted coaching great players regrets not coaching the former Inter striker.
“I have coached great champions in my career, from [Oliver] Bierhoff to [George] Weah up to Adriano but the only regret I have is that I never trained [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic.
“He is eternal and I still don’t understand why he never won the Ballon d’Or.
“In Italy, he has shifted the balance more than Ronaldo.”
Speaking further about his influence in the AC Milan dressing room, the tactician believes that such has made many Milan young players grow.
“It is no coincidence that many young players have grown exponentially since his arrival.
“He doesn’t just score, he transmits confidence to all his teammates, carrying the team on his shoulders in difficult moments,” he added.
The influence of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Cristiano Ronaldo explained explained
Since rejoining Milan in January, Ibrahimovic has made a considerable impact, scoring 11 goals in 20 appearances in the second half of the 2019-20 campaign.
So far this season, he has net four goals in two games. His brace were the difference in the Milan derby that his team carried the day beating Antonio Conte’s men 2-1.
Ibrahimovic during his first stint at the San Siro spent two seasons winning the Serie A title in 2011.
Ronaldo has also been prolific since joining Juve from Real Madrid in 2018, scoring 68 goals in 91 appearances across all competitions.
The five times world footballer of the year became the fastest Juve player to hit 50 goals in the club’s history.
Ibrahimovic oozes with confidence
The level of confidence with which the 39-year-old plays is stunning despite recently recovering from coronavirus.
This was seen in his indefatigable performance against his former club. Speaking after defeating Inter 2-1, the striker said he feel more complete at his age as he now have more experience.
“I feel more complete, I have more experience. When you are young you are still growing.
“You spend a moment where you are learning things, playing games, you have moments and situations that repeat themselves.
“Now I feel complete. If I had the condition of 20-30 years, nobody would stop me. But anyway, they don’t stop me even now,” the veteran forward told Sky Italia after sinking Inter with a brace.
The win has made Milan to be considered among the favourite for the Scudetto.
With Ibra in the dressing room and on the field this is possible as the team now plays with a lot of confidence and zeal against any opposition.
Milan will be involved in Europa League action on Thursday night. The currently occupy the top spot in the league after winning their firsty four games.
They are currently on 12 points, while Sassulo, who made a comeback win against Bologna is second with ten points.
