Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic expressed his perplexity at the celebration of Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored his first goals at the 2026 World Cup. The situation occurred on Tuesday, in Houston, when Portugal beat Uzbekistan 5-0, and the Portuguese player was captured on camera saying “I’m back”.
The Portuguese star’s attitude caused strangeness among the former Sweden player, who asked the reason behind such a statement. In Ibrahimovic’s view, the number 7’s demonstration lacked logic, even given the criticism directed at him for his initial performance in the World Cup, added to recent debates about his influence and effectiveness in major tournaments.
“I was a bit confused when I heard that. Where did you come back from, precisely? If you shake the net twice and proclaim ‘I’m back’, the impression is that you were missing for a decade and reappeared from another planet”, declared the striker in an interview with the Fox Sports channel.
He continued, stating that “Cristiano has performed constantly, scored goals, surpassed scores and been under the spotlight non-stop. This made me laugh. The world of football discusses him every week, opponents still fear him, and the arenas continue to fill up to watch him on the field.”
The former Swedish player expressed understanding regarding Cristiano Ronaldo’s discomfort in the face of negative comments, but considered that the phrase used in the celebration was not justified.
“Perhaps his intention was to indicate that he returned to silence his critics. If that is the case, that’s fine. However, for Cristiano Ronaldo to announce his return is as if the sun announced that it will rise on the horizon tomorrow,” added Ibrahimovic.
How is Portugal’s World Cup campaign going?
After the triumph against Uzbekistan, the Portugal team achieved four points and is positioned in second place in Group K for the final round. The group leadership belongs to Colombia, which won both of its matches.
At the end of the group stage, Portugal and Colombia will face each other in Miami, on Saturday, at 8:30 pm, in a duel for first place in the group. The Colombian team has the advantage of playing for a draw. Simultaneously, DR Congo and Uzbekistan will play the other game.