Former Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic believes he is the "best player in the world" and should be considered equal to both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
The Swede, who spent two seasons at Old Trafford between 2016 and 2018, made the claim ahead of Ronaldo 's second debut for United on Saturday afternoon - against Newcastle United at Old Trafford.
Ronaldo, along with Paris Saint-Germain star Messi, is considered the best player in the world, with both him and the Argentine often classed as far superior to anyone else that has ever played the game.
However, Ibrahimovic, who is still playing at the age of 39, has admitted that he struggles to understand why he is not considered in the same bracket, with the striker having enjoyed a rich and colourful career and not yet showing any signs of slowing down.
"If you're talking about intrinsic qualities, I have nothing less than them," Ibrahimovic told France Football magazine. "If you look at the trophies… yes, I didn't win the Champions League.
"But I don't know how you calculate it. I'm not obsessed with it because when you do good things collectively, the individual follows. The individual cannot be good if the collective is not good.
"[Do] I miss the Ballon d'Or? No, it is the Ballon d'Or that misses me. Deep down, I think I'm the best player in the world.
"I don't think it's relevant to compare players with each other. Everyone has played in their generation, with different team-mates… [it is] difficult to compare. I think everyone has their story and should face it."
During his heavily decorated career, Ibrahimovic, who netted 29 goals in 53 games for United, has won a total of 31 major honours, but in comparison to both Ronaldo and Messi, the Champions League title is missing from his personal collection of accolades.
That can be considered as surprising when you take into account that he has played for some of Europe's biggest clubs during his career, including United, Barcelona and AC Milan.
Between them, Ronaldo and Messi have won the Champions League nine times, with the former having won it on five separate occasions.
