Zlatan Ibrahimovic may not have spent too long at Manchester United – but their ‘crazy’ fans left a lasting impression on him.
The 42-year-old achieved cult status amongst supporters during his brief spell at Old Trafford between 2016-2018.
Joining on a free from Paris Saint-Germain, the maverick striker scored 29 goals in 53 matches in all competitions.
His opening season saw him win three trophies, with United triumphing in the League Cup, Europa League and Community Shield.
Ibrahimovic marked his debut with a Wembley goal against Leicester in the annual curtain-raiser.
And he then bagged himself a double at the Home of Football in the thrilling 3-2 League Cup final win over Southampton.
An underwhelming second campaign followed, where he was limited to just seven matches, before having his contract terminated four months before the end of the season.
But the X-rated song the United faithful had for the AC Milan icon lives long in his memory.
While Ibrahimovic struggled with the heat of the chicken wings he tasted during a recent appearance on the Hot Ones, the Swedish great had no trouble in naming his favourite chant from his illustrious career.
He said: “I liked the United one, the United one I had was crazy, because when they started to sing, it was my first game, I scored that game [Community Shield vs Leicester].
“They were like, ‘Six-foot five, hard as f***,’ and then they kept going.
“I was like, ‘Whoa,’ this was something else, and they kept signing for 45 minutes, I was like, ‘Listen, I didn’t even start to play my game yet.’
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“When you get that support, you feel obviously more strong and you bring it with you and you just want to give back.
“I tried to put on a show for the fans.”
Zlatan’s iconic chant took aim at the club’s rivals Manchester City, who he scored against on his Manchester derby debut.
It went: “Zlatan Ibrahimovic, he is a Swedish hero, on a free from PSG, he cost us f****** zero.
“Six-foot five, hard as f***, he gets the Reds excited, stick your City up your a***, ‘Cos we are Man United.”
Following his United exit, Ibrahimovic immediately linked up with MLS outfit LA Galaxy, where he spent two years – scoring 53 goals in 58 games.
He then returned to the San Siro for his third spell at AC Milan, where he helped them win the Serie A title in 2022.
After calling time on his career in 2023, he now works as a senior advisor for the Rossoneri.
