Ibrahimovic was speaking in Italy after completing his move back to former club AC Milan following his stint Stateside with MLS side Los Angeles Galaxy.

And, when a reporter asked him if he was ready to compete with the world's best player, who also plays in the Italian top flight – a clear reference to Juventus' Portuguese ace Ronaldo – Ibrahimovic gave a reply that could be described as "typically Zlatan".

The Swedish hitman simply said: "Since when did Messi come to Italy?"