The love-hate relationship between Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alexi Lalas has been one of the biggest off-pitch talking points of the 2026 World Cup. Partnered with Thierry Henry for Fox Sports' coverage of football's most prestigious competition, cracks in the dynamic began to emerge when the legendary Sweden striker openly dubbed his colleague 'ignorant'.
Since then, the thin line between banter and bashing has often blurred, but it has made for excellent viewing with Fox Sports' coverage often gaining traction on social media throughout the World Cup.
But when it comes to disliking workmates, Zlatan has form. With an ego almost as famous as his football, it's pretty easy for someone to end up on the wrong side of the former Manchester United front-man. One case in point being Edinson Cavani, who threatened the Swede's position as PSG's main source of goals after joining the French club in 2013.
Cavani is one of four teammates the iconic forward reportedly failed to get along with during his decorated career.
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Ibrahimovic's Issues With Cavani at PSG
Cavani
Ibrahimovic and Cavani are both regarded as PSG legends and, despite the Swede's problems with the former Napoli forward, they still enjoyed plenty of success together. The pair shared the pitch 107 times, combined for 25 goals and lifted three Ligue 1 titles during their time in the same team.
However, Ibrahimovic's former LA Galaxy teammate, Michael Ciani, offered an insight into the AC Milan legend's hatred for Cavani and three other teammates during his career. Speaking to RMC Sport in 2020, he said:
If you are close to Cavani, Ibra does not like it. Either you are with Ibra, or you are against him. He told me that everything was fine with Laurent Blanc at PSG. The only person he did not get along with was Cavani. He told me that he only hated three or four people in his career... and one of them was Cavani.
Ibrahimovic departed PSG for Manchester United in July 2016 when his contract came to an end. Cavani almost followed a similar route, eventually joining the Red Devils two years after the former 122-cap Sweden international had left the Premier League giants.
Ibrahimovic's Problems with Van der Vaart, Lukaku and Onyewu
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Although Cavani was the only player specifically named as one of 'the four', the Uruguayan wasn't the only one of Ibrahimovic's former teammates to incur the fierce Swede's wrath. Back in 2004, he faced former Ajax teammate Rafael van der Vaart during an international friendly between Sweden and the Netherlands.
A number of Dutch players crowded Ibrahimovic as he tried to force his way into the penalty area, and he reacted by lashing out, leaving van der Vaart in a heap on the turf. The former Tottenham attacking midfielder suffered an ankle injury and was forced into a spell on the sidelines.
Van der Vaart claimed Ibrahimovic had hurt him deliberately, but the former Sweden captain rejected that accusation and warned him that, if he blamed him again, he would break both of his legs and this time do it on purpose.
Romelu Lukaku, who spent one season alongside Ibrahimovic at Manchester United, was later caught up in a heated confrontation with the forward during a Milan derby in 2021. The Belgian had effectively replaced Zlatan at Old Trafford before Cavani eventually arrived.
Ibrahimovic's most explosive clash with a teammate came during his time with former Milan defender Oguchi Onyewu. The pair wanted to 'tear each other limb to limb' after a training-ground fight turned physical, with punches and knees thrown. The Swede later described the incident as 'life and death', saying:
"The next time he got the ball in training; I rushed towards him and jumped up with my feet and studs out in front. But he saw me and leapt out of the way. I headbutted him, and we flew at each other. We wanted to tear each other limb from limb. It was brutal. We were rolling around, punching and kneeing each other. We were crazy and furious — it was like life and death.
"I was stopped by my teammates, and I suppose that was a good thing. It could have turned out nasty. All the time, I was thinking: ‘S***, my chest hurts,’ so we had it checked out. I’d broken a rib in the fight. It was not the first time I’d had a dispute with a team-mate."
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