Former Premier League defender Nedum Onuoha has lifted the lid on his infamous feud with Zlatan Ibrahimovic during their time as opponents in the MLS.
The pair almost got into a fight in the locker room after LA Galaxy’s match against Real Salt Lake in April 2019.
It came after the duo battled throughout the 90 minutes, with Ibrahimovic initially dragging Onuoha to the ground for preventing him from getting to the ball.
The Swede, who also played for AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona during his illustrious career, then laughed straight in Onuoha’s face after scoring late on.
That prompted Ibrahimovic to walk into the Real Salt Lake dressing room and ask Onuoha, formerly of Manchester City, if he had ‘calmed down’.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Nedum Onuoha got into an altercation during an MLS match in 2019
The Swedish striker dragged the defender to the ground before scoring a goal
They then faced off in the dressing room after Ibrahimovic asked if Onuoha had ‘calmed down’
Onuoha admits this caused a furious reaction and he had to be restrained as Ibrahimovic was escorted from the dressing room.
Speaking on the FilthyFellas YouTube channel: Onuoha claimed that MLS players “danced” around stars like Ibrahimovic and that he cursed at his teammates during matches.
He said: ‘With Ibrahimovic we all know his career. The things he has done, the goals he has scored. You imagine him playing for Inter and AC (Milan), whatever, and he’s great.
“The season after he did that, I went to MLS. When I first went, he talked as much as he does. He said: “I’m a Ferrari among Fiats” and I think he’s talking about this competition, have some respect.
“The guy I’m standing next to, an MLS player, is laughing his head off and says, ‘He’s so funny, isn’t he?’ I said, “Yo, he’s talking about you. Why are you okay with this?”
“What he did when he was there. Actually, he scored a lot of goals, but he always demeaned the league and talked about it. Anyone who did well, they pushed down.
‘When we played against him it was the first time I played against him, it was 0-0 and a bit of a dead match. The ball goes over the top and I’m standing behind him and he grabbed me by the neck and threw me to the ground.
“I’m lying on the floor and looking at him like, ‘What are you doing?’ and he was like, “get up.” I’m like “who are you talking to?”
‘So I get up and now I’m in his face saying ‘who are you talking to?’, calling him this and that. We face each other for the rest of the match, and every time he makes a mistake I laugh. We actually laughed at each other.
“His team got excited and this describes who he was at that moment, his team was stinking at the back and all he does from the halfway line is shout about how bad everyone is.
‘He said: ‘You are no good, you are a disgrace, a disaster’. He doesn’t manage any channels, he just stands there. People who played with him in the MLS played with fear because they were afraid of upsetting him.
Onuoha revealed Ibrahimovic would criticize his teammates in matches, making them ‘fear him’
“Then the ball comes in late and he scores and I’m like, ‘For God’s sake.’ He comes right up to the side of my head and laughs.
“The game’s over and here’s the thing about MLS: some guys are into it and some guys aren’t. They dance around their stars. So after the game we lost, everyone knows I had a fight with this player and there’s a guy on my team trying to take a picture with him on the field.
“I come into the dressing room and I’m all hot because the game went the way it went, it’s my first interaction with this guy, we’re away from home and we should have won.
‘Two minutes later he came into the dressing room and said: ‘Have you calmed down yet?’ I don’t know this guy, again I’m like “who are you talking to?”
‘So now I’m putting pressure on him. I’m supported by one or two people telling him to ‘get the hell out there or whatever’, but looking around there are only three of us who have taken the step. The rest were just in shock.
‘I was the first to take on him and then more people did. The next time we played them I was ready for war and when I saw him he asked how I was doing.
“I think he respected me for coming to him, because a lot of people wouldn’t have pushed back. “I’m disappointed because he has one of the best careers, but he also says things that I know people I know would never say about someone.”
Ibrahimovic joined LA Galaxy after leaving Manchester United in March 2018.
He scored 53 goals in 58 appearances over two seasons in the MLS but could not lead them to any silverware. When he announced his departure, he told fans to “go back and watch baseball.”
Onuoha, meanwhile, played 53 games over three seasons for Real Salt Lake. He announced his retirement after the 2020 MLS season.