Zlatan Ibrahimovic has never been short of self-proclamation. He's already likened himself to Indiana Jones as well as a lion, and he's been at it again - this time calling himself "God of Goals".
The LA Galaxy striker netted the 500th goal of his colourful career in his side's 5-3 defeat to Toronto FC on Saturday, and then took to Twitter to let the world know what he thought of himself.
500 pic.twitter.com/EObuJwoaMA
— Zlatan Ibrahimović (@Ibra_official) September 16, 2018
He also had a whimsical follow-up for the media after the match, saying: "I am happy for Toronto because they will be remembered as my 500th victim."
The goal itself was something special as the 36-year-old, known for his impressive flexibility, met a high ball forward with a spectacular volley.
ARE YOU SERIOUS? #Zlatan500 in the most Zlatan way possible. pic.twitter.com/CSvyF9vszv
— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) September 16, 2018
The goal was greeted by a standing ovation by the Toronto fans, though Ibrahimovic claimed he's quite used to that experience.
Reporter: "That's the first time I've seen an away goal get a standing ovation. What does that mean to you?"@Ibra_official: "It's not the first time I've gotten a standing ovation from the away team." pic.twitter.com/ra4TNOqBQR
— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) September 16, 2018
He frequently refers to himself as "God" on social media, and did so recently when he met popstar Ed Sheeran.
When the Genius @edsheeran finally met God. Thank you for an unforgettable concert at Rose bowl pic.twitter.com/paERAeDMOh
— Zlatan Ibrahimović (@Ibra_official) August 19, 2018
His 500 goals have included 18 for Malmo, 48 for Ajax, 26 for Juventus, 66 for Inter Milan, 22 for Barcelona, 56 for AC Milan, 156 for Paris Saint-Germain, 29 for Manchester United and 17 for LA Galaxy, plus 62 international goals for Sweden.
He joins Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as the only active players to have reached 500 goals for club and country.
They all have some way to go to catch Pele however, after he plundered 1,279 goals. Fellow Brazilian Romario scored 772, while Austrian Josef Bican is recorded as having scored 805. Some of these numbers are disputed on the grounds of whether certain matches were official or not.
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