Zlatan Ibrahimovic once described Celtic Park as the best atmosphere he'd ever experienced. But the superstar striker couldn't resist a cheeky dig at the Scottish champions in front of an American crowd in New York.
The retired Swedish icon, 44, was a VIP guest at the third annual Fanatics Fest in New York earlier this week - a multi-day festival that brings together some of the biggest names in sport with fans and collectors. Often described as the sporting equivalent of Comic-Con, Zlatan took part in a live Q&A while opening packs of sports trading cards.
But when he pulled out one for Celtic, the former AC Milan, PSG and Barcelona striker grinned before joking into the microphone: "What is Celtic?"
The event host immediately warned the quip wouldn't go down well in Scotland, replying: "Scottish people won't be happy with that."
Zlatan's History with Celtic
Zlatan - who describes himself as a 'God' and 'King' - played Celtic three times across his illustrious playing career but never scored against the Hoops. In 2001, he was part of the Ajax team that was humbled by Martin O'Neill's side in the Champions League qualifiers, as the Hoops progressed 3-2 on aggregate. Celts stormed to a famous 3-1 first leg win in Amsterdam before surviving a scare in Glasgow after a 1-0 defeat to scrape through.
Zlatan was blown away by the noise inside the Parkhead cauldron that night and years later said: "I have played in the biggest games in world football. But I have never experienced an atmosphere like I did at Celtic Park."
Return with AC Milan
But the football great was given a different taste of Celtic Park on his return with AC Milan in 2020, with the stadium empty due to Covid restrictions. That night, he became the oldest outfield player to start a European match for AC Milan since Paolo Maldini as the Italians cruised to a 3-1 victory in the Europa League.
