Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti has revealed how striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic once claimed he was Jesus in order to inspire his team..
Verratti, 22, joined the French club in 2012, at the same time Ibrahimovic made the move to PSG from Italian giants AC Milan.
The Italian international explained how his side was under pressure in the build-up to a League match against rivals Lyon, yet their Swedish star conjured up the faith of his teammates with a memorable quote.
“Before winning the 2012/13 league title, we were getting ready to play against Lyon,” Verratti explained in an interview withFour Four Two.
“Carlo Ancelotti was a bit tense, so Ibra approached him and asked him if he believed in Jesus. Ancelotti said yes, so Ibra told him: ‘Good, so you believe in me. You can relax!’
“Zlatan is like this – he has a lot of self-confidence. This helps him to be a great player,” Verratti added.
The young midfielder says his side are well-accustomed to the former Barcelona, Inter, Juventus and Ajax’s extraordinary exploits in front of goal – something which the 33-year-old hones on at practice.
“We are starting to get used to the amazing goals he scores,” Verratti said.
“Some of the plays you see him do during a match – they don’t just happen. He works on everything in training.
“He has a co-ordination and creativity that very few players have. Even Ibra has got us used to his amazing goals!”
Ibrahimovic has scored 13 goals in 16 matches so far this season for PSG, who lie in third place in the Ligue 1 standings, three points behind leaders Marseille.
