The former Manchester United defender described how passionate his teammate was in the dressing room
Juan Mata of Manchester United (L), Paul Pogba of Manchester United (C), Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Manchester United (CR) and Wayne Rooney of Manchester United (R) all look on as they decied who will take a freekick during the Premier League match between Manchester United and AFC Bournemouth at Old Trafford on March 4, 2017 in Manchester, England.
The former Manchester United striker was quite the character(Image: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
View 3 Images
Marcos Rojo believes in Zlatan Ibrahimovic's self-proclaimed "lion" status, recalling the striker's fiery presence in the Manchester United dressing room.
The Swedish legend made his grand entrance at Old Trafford in 2016, signing a one-year contract as a free agent. Jose Mourinho secured the services of the forward for 12 months, with an option to extend for another year in a bid to bolster the club's silverware prospects.
During his tenure at United, Ibrahimovic clinched both the League Cup and the Europa League. Fellow United star Rojo had a mutual acquaintance with Ibrahimovic in the form of Ezequiel Lavezzi, which helped strengthen their rapport.
In a 2023 interview with TyC Sports, Rojo shed light on the Swede's animated behaviour in the dressing room, where he would often conduct fiery rants while his teammates remained silent.
He said: "He appeared in the group on a Friday, he had trained one day, and we travelled. He started the game and scored an incredible goal.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Eric Bailly and Marcos Rojo of Manchester United celebrate with the Europa League trophy after the UEFA Europa League Final match between Manchester United and Ajax at Friends Arena on May 24, 2017 in Stockholm, Sweden.
The Swede had a good connection with Rojo(Image: Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)
View 3 Images
"They tied us, and they were hitting us with balls. He came in firing, 'You don't play football like that, this is a big club!' This guy arrived 10 minutes ago, and he's already screaming. [Wayne] Rooney and [Bastian] Schweinsteiger were there... nobody said anything to him. And I was thinking, 'Whoa, this is very spicy.'"
Ibrahimovic's hunger for victory was apparent from the get-go at United, occasionally leading to friction with his colleagues. In fact, Rojo even found himself in a heated confrontation with the striker in the dressing room. "In a game, he got heated, and I answered him," Rojo said. "I started b****ing about him.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marcos Rojo of Manchester United warm up during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Newcastle United at Old Trafford on November 18, 2017 in Manchester, England.
But the pair clashed despite being good friends(Image: John Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)
View 3 Images
"We both started to argue. The first half ended and we went to the dressing room. I said, 'No, now I have to go in and see what he does,' you saw. I was ready.
"I tell him, 'You stop yelling at me', he told me, 'No, you pass the ball to me, play forward'. He came, and everyone stopped. I stopped too, but I was saying, 'Grab this one', then Mourinho came in furious, he started kicking everything."
However, Rojo revealed that they quickly resolved their differences as he added: "The next day I was having breakfast, and he came, grabbed me from behind the neck, and we started to laugh."