The biggest back story in the premier quarterfinal matchup had been Ibrahimovic and his bitter breakup with Barcelona — and specifically his relationship with head coach Pep Guardiola. Now the striker is eager to wish the best to his former team.
In a press conference prior to the game, Ibra said he "wants Barcelona to win [La Liga]. I want them to win like I want all the teams with which I played to win."
He went on to add that playing with Barcelona was a dream come true, despite the dream only lasting a year.
With the persistence of questions regarding his old team, Ibra said he still got along with former teammates, but it was when it came to questions regarding Guardiola and former Barcelona president Joan Laporta that he spoke less.
In the case of Guardiola, Ibrahimovic was reluctant to address the question of whether he would shake hands with his former coach.
"The past is in the past. What happened happened," Ibrahimovic said. "The handshake is not important to me, and it's not important to him. Life goes on."
Finally, Ibrahimovic replied to comments made by Laporta, saying his signing had been a mistake.
"He didn't think that before I went to Barcelona," Ibrahimovic said.
We're not sure what his defense was meant to be with that comment. Was it that he proved with his great play upon arriving how bad a signing he was?
For more sports news, visit Terra.com.
