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Lukaku opens up on his famous bust-up with Ibrahimovic

Lukaku, Ibrahimovic
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Romelu Lukaku has shared more light on the famous bust up that saw a clash of heads with the big Swede, Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Romelu Lukaku has claimed that Zlatan Ibrahimovic ‘wants to win for himself’ as the Inter star shared his account of his furious clash with the veteran earlier this season.

The former Manchester United team-mates came to blows at the San Siro in January’s Coppa Italia quarter final as Antonio Conte’s side overcame a one-goal deficit to advance to the semi-finals with a 2-1 win.

Lukaku, 27, and Ibrahimovic, 39, squared up to each other and traded insults as tensions flared. The pair received one-match bans and a combined fine of £7,000 for ‘unsportsmanlike conduct’ in the aftermath.

The Belgian marksman has gone onto lead his side to the Serie A title, ending Juventus’ decade-long reign at the summit of Italian football. Lukaku appeared to take a dig at the Swede this week, posting: “the real god has crowned the king!” on Twitter.

“Now bow down. King of Milano,” the striker added, with a winking face and a crown emoji.

And Lukaku has opened up on the bust-up in January, admitting that he was ‘not happy’ about his reaction to Ibrahimovic’s taunts with Milan 1-0 up at the time, describing how the Swede is good for Serie A and that he ‘plays for himself’.

“We were 1-0 down, I had missed a goal and I was a little angry. His words hit me. I am not happy about my reaction, but I don’t let myself get pushed around” Lukaku told Il Corriere della Sera via Football Italia.

‘I am humble, I am a winner, and I fight until death for my teammates’ victory.

‘Ibrahimovic is a great footballer, he’s won everywhere he’s been, scoring more than 500 goals. I had had a good relationship with him until I was at Manchester United, but we need these kind of footballers in Serie A.

‘He wants to win for himself, I want to win for Inter and Ronaldo for Juventus. Now, there is Mourinho at Roma. These are nice things for Italian football,’ he added.

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