‘When it snows, I’m a viking’ – Ibrahimovic ready for Minnesota cold

Zlatan Ibrahimovic vowed he would draw on his inner “viking” as he weighed up the prospect of playing in the snow at Minnesota United in the MLS playoffs.

Ibrahimovic has packed his career with bold claims, regularly referring to himself as a “lion”, and he remains bullish despite the potentially tricky conditions at Allianz Field on Sunday.

LA Galaxy have returned to the post-season but face a tough trip to surprise package Minnesota, who have hosted snow games in the past in the colder months of the year.

Star Galaxy striker Ibrahimovic, born in Sweden, does not foresee any adverse weather being an issue for himself or LA.

“I’m from Sweden, I was born in the snow,” the 38-year-old said in an interview posted on Galaxy’s Twitter page.

“When it snows, I’m a viking. When it’s warm, I’m a lion.” – @Ibra_official when asked about playing in Minnesota #MINvLA | #MLSCupPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/OCSaTqZnKT

— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) October 16, 2019

“When it snows, I’m a viking. When it’s warm, I’m a lion. We adjust for every condition there is.”

Ibrahimovic scored 30 goals in 29 regular season games in 2019, leading LA back to the playoffs after missing out in his first MLS campaign following a remarkable final-day collapse by the team last year.

Should the Galaxy advance past Minnesota, they would take on city rivals Los Angeles FC in a mouth-watering Western Conference semi-final tie. 

The two teams played out thrilling affairs in both of their regular season meetings, with Ibrahimovic starring in each game. 

Ibrahimovic netted a hat-trick in a 3-2 Galaxy win in July, before scoring a pair of goals in a 3-3 draw in August. 

The Swede has engaged in a war of words with star LAFC attacker Carlos Vela, who broke the MLS single-season goalscoring record this term by netting 34 times. 

But Ibrahimovic has consistently proclaimed his superiority over the Mexican, claiming that his longer history of success in Europe makes the comparison tilt massively in his favour.

“He’s a good player but you made one mistake: you compared him with me. That was your biggest mistake,” Ibrahimovic said in July. 

Though Ibrahimovic is 38, there have been suggestions he could return to Europe after this season, with his Galaxy contract set to expire at season’s end.