Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has claimed that he has been a victim of "latent racism" throughout his career.
The Sweden international, who has won his nation's Golden Ball award a record 11 times, has stated that he would be treated differently if his surname were "Svensson or Andersson".
In an interview with former Inter Milan teammate Olivier Dacourt for Canal +, the striker said: "They still attack me today because they do not accept me being Ibrahimovic. If another player made the same mistakes as me, they would defend him. When it's me, they do not defend me, but it's okay, it's what made me stronger.
"I'm talking about racism. I'm not saying it's asserted racism, but latent racism. That's it, I'm sure. If my name was Svensson or Andersson, or if I was blonde, they would defend me even if I robbed a bank.
"I'm probably the best Swedish player in history. What I did, no-one had done before. The record of number of times anyone had won the Swedish Player of the Year was two. And how many did I win? Eleven. It never happened before. I've done for Swedish football what nobody has. I'm the best."
Ibrahimovic has played for numerous clubs throughout his career, including Ajax, Juventus, Inter, Barcelona, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and United.
Danielle Joynson
