Zlatan Ibrahimović shares who’s the only Mexican player he respects and is not Carlos Vela
He had heated discussions with Vela during his stint in MLS.
Zlatan Ibrahimović is known for 3 things: he’s one of the best soccer players in the XXI Century, he’s a globetrotter as he has played in 7 different countries, and is known for being outspoken, something that has earned him both the love and the hate of soccer fans.
Read more Mexico National Team news:
When Zlatan decided to play in MLS in 2018, everyone thought that he was approaching to the end of his professional career, but after two seasons playing for LA Galaxy, in which he had heated discussions with Carlos Vela as LAFC and the Galaxy set up one of the most exciting derbies in MLS -El Tráfico-, Ibrahimović decided to go back to Europe and continue playing at a top level.
It’s clear that Zlatan doesn’t feel any kind of affection towards Carlos Vela, but whether he despises him or not, it doesn’t mean that he feels the same towards every Mexican player, as he’s played with and against a few of them in his 4-decade career. One of them is Efraín Álvarez, who impressed the Swedish striker.
Where did Zlatan meet Efraín Álvarez?
Zlatan was Efraín Álvarez’s teammate when he played in LA Galaxy, where he became his mentor on the two years they shared dressing room. The 19-year-old offensive midfielder has both Mexican and American nationalities, but he already decided to play for El Tri, and he even had his first starting cap in the 2021 Gold Cup.
