Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Wayne Rooney both achieved great things in their football careers, but the pair have slightly more time on their hands these days, and they may be ready to pass some time by taking each other on in the boxing ring.
In their prime, both players were among the very best footballers in the world, proving to be highly influential for their club and country over a number of years.
Both have now retired from playing, with Ibrahimovic taking on a senior advisory role at AC Milan, while Rooney is currently managing Plymouth Argyle in the Championship as he looks to get his career back on track after a disastrous spell with Birmingham City last year.
Two titans of the game, Rooney and Ibrahimovic were even teammates for a short while during their time at Manchester United. Together, they won the Europa League, the League Cup, and the Community Shield with the Red Devils.
They may end up being reunited in the near future, too, but under very different circumstances.
That’s according to Misfits Boxing promoter Mams Taylor, who has told The Sun that he is trying to get Ibrahimovic to take part in a fight, with Rooney a prospective opponent.
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Taylor said: “I’ve tried to convince Zlatan and he can fight. I’m good friends with his manager and we had a FaceTime, the three of us. It was really cool because he’s seen a lot of Misfits fights and he’s followed it. He was a kickboxer, he’d be a good one as well.”
On Rooney’s involvement, Taylor added: “I will say that Zlatan and Wayne Rooney, there have been conversations and I think it’s a matter of time. At some point it will materialise. There’s other names that aren’t quite as big as these guys.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic retired from professional football in June 2023 at the age of 41. (Image: Getty)
Rooney has made no secret of his love of boxing in the past, and was reportedly ready to make his Misfits debut recently.
Ibrahimovic, meanwhile, has always looked after his physique and has remained in incredible shape despite retiring from playing football.
Pairing the leaner, more agile Swedish star against the heavyweight style of Rooney would make for quite the contest, and would surely be the kind of fight any football fan would love to watch.