Zlatan Ibrahimovic has a message for Chelsea: grow up.
Zlatan, 34, and Paris Saint-Germain head to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday for the second leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 clash.
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PSG leads 2-1 from the first leg and this burgeoning rivalry between clubs from the English and French capital will continue, as they meet for the third-straight season in the UCL knockout rounds.
Zlatan is hoping he can stay on the pitch in west London on Wednesday longer than he managed last season, as he was red carded in the first half (his tackle was one of many late challenges and overreactions from both camps) but 10-man PSG beat Chelsea in extra time to make the quarterfinals.
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Does he expect Chelsea’s players to act more professionally?“Let’s see,” Ibrahimovic said. “The last game we played they were no indications of that. In that situation, from the last game here, I’d never seen anything like that before … from mature players like that, I didn’t expect it. But it’s a new game now. Let’s play it differently.
“I never think about revenge. Hopefully, I will stay on the pitch longer than the last time, to have the possibility to do things I’m good at. Play football.”
What about the future? With his PSG contract up in two months, is this his last chance to win the UCL?
“It’s not the end,” Ibrahimovic said. “I’m only warming up. I don’t believe it’s [close to] the end of my career. Age is something you can’t fear, it’s just a number, and the difference is how you feel. I feel young. I’ve never had better statistics than those from this season. This is the best I’ve had in that sense.”
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The Swedish international striker was also asked about a potential future in England, with PL clubs rumored to be interested in signing him, but he admitted he’s held no talks with other clubs and is only focused on trying to win the UCL with PSG.
With the significant Qatari investment arriving in 2011, PSG is about to win its fourth-straight French title but European domination is their main aim and Chelsea stands in the way for Zlatan and Co.
