Zlatan Ibrahimovic criticised Rodrigo De Paul after the Inter Miami midfielder taunted Robert Lewandowski during a match between Chicago Fire and Inter Miami on the night of Wednesday 9 into Thursday 10 September 2026. The game finished 1-1.
Ibrahimovic, who has worked as a pundit on Fox Sports since the 2026 World Cup, said that if he had been in Lewandowski's position he would have given De Paul a heavy headbutt. The former Paris Saint-Germain striker made the remarks on air after footage of the confrontation spread on social media.
Taunt during Chicago Fire clash
The flashpoint came late in the game. Lewandowski, a striker with 636 career goals, had a brief altercation in the penalty area with Inter Miami defender Ian Frey. De Paul, who has a habit of stepping in for his teammates, then confronted Lewandowski, and the words exchanged between the two men were what angered Ibrahimovic.
According to the report, De Paul asked Lewandowski who he thought he was, calling him an idiot, and said that he himself had won two Copa America titles and a World Cup, before asking what Lewandowski had won.
Ibrahimovic's response
Ibrahimovic said Lewandowski had stayed very calm throughout, which he respected, but added that if it had been him, he would have headbutted De Paul. He said that in five years nobody would be talking about De Paul, while people would always talk about Lewandowski. Everything De Paul and his Inter Miami teammates had won, he added, was down to Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria, not to an ordinary player like De Paul.
Ibrahimovic is a former Sweden international who played for Paris Saint-Germain among other major European clubs before retiring and moving into broadcasting. Lewandowski is a Poland international regarded as one of the most prolific strikers of his generation and now plays for Chicago Fire in the United States. De Paul is an Argentina international who lines up alongside Messi at Inter Miami and has won both the Copa America and the World Cup with his national team.
Social media reaction
De Paul's taunt drew criticism from football fans online. On X, some users said it was extraordinary to say such a thing to one of the best number nines of his generation, while others said Messi was the reason De Paul had any standing at all, only for him to compare himself to Lewandowski. Another comment noted that De Paul was asking a player with 33 trophies what he had won, when his own biggest achievement was said to be playing in Messi's shadow.
Despite the backlash, Lewandowski himself appeared unmoved. According to the report, his only reaction to De Paul was to smile.
