Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola was awkwardly reunited with Zlatan Ibrahimovic following their explosive feud at Barcelona.
They briefly exchanged pleasantries with one another prior to Manchester City’s 3-2 pre-season defeat to AC Milan at the Yankee Stadium in New York.
The duo worked together between 2009-2010 at the Nou Camp, where they won the LaLiga title, UEFA Super Cup, Club World Cup and two Spanish Super Cups.
But things weren’t plain sailing away from the football pitch, with Ibrahimovic labelling Guardiola as a ‘spineless coward’ in his 2013 autobiography ‘I Am Zlatan’.
Shedding light on their heated exchange following Barca’s Champions League exit to Inter Milan, Ibrahimovic wrote: “I yelled, ‘You haven’t got any balls! You can go to hell!’
“I completely lost it, and you might have expected Guardiola to say a few words in response, but he’s a spineless coward.”
Ibrahimovic added: “He just picked up the metal box, like a little caretaker, and then left, never to mention it again, not a word.”
And in an interview with TalkTV host Piers Morgan last year, the 42-year-old – now Milan’s senior advisor – revealed how he once parked his Ferrari in front of Guardiola’s office to ‘f*** with him’.
Now 14 years after Ibrahimovic’s initial loan move to Milan, the pair once again graced each other’s company.
It was Guardiola who approached the former Manchester United forward, where they engaged in a handshake.
An awkward hug then ensued, before a few seconds of small talk ended with Guardiola walking away to prepare for his side’s friendly, where they lost in a five-goal thriller.
Ibrahimovic shared the footage on social media, captioning the post: “Just a friendly game.”
Football fans have been quick to comment on the reunion between the two, as one X user said: “First time I’ve seen Ibra shook/visibly uncomfortable.”
Another posted: “Pep is great after all that comments about him Zlatan has made. I like Zlatan, but I feel Pep didn’t deserve all the things he said about him.”
A third added: “Yeah this wasn’t awkward at all.”
This person then commented: “Pretty awkward, but respect to Pep for going to even say hi to him. Zlatan doesn’t look pleased haha.”
Meanwhile another simply stated: “Zlatan looked uneasy there.”
Keep up to date with all the latest news, rumours and gossip with our LIVE transfer blog
News Summary:
- Zlatan Ibrahimovic reunites with ‘spineless coward’ Pep Guardiola 14 years on from bitter feud at Barcelona
- Check all news and articles from the latest Football updates.