Zlatan blasts VAR and Ronaldo after Croatia's World Cup exit: 'It was a robbery'

Zlatan Ibrahimović launched a fierce attack on the refereeing and Cristiano Ronaldo following Croatia's elimination from the tournament by Portugal. The Swedish star expressed strong disagreement with the VAR decision to disallow Croatia's late equalizer, suggesting it was manipulated to favor Portugal's progression.

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It was a great game that was altered in the final minutes by VAR. I don't see any foul in the 2-2 situation. For me, the goal should have counted. The Portuguese player touches the ball, so there is no offside. You can't disallow a goal like that at the end without clear proof. It wasn't a refereeing decision, it was a clear robbery.

"It was a great game that was altered in the final minutes by VAR. I don't see any foul in the 2-2 situation. For me, the goal should have counted. The Portuguese player touches the ball, so there is no offside. You can't disallow a goal like that at the end without clear proof. It wasn't a refereeing decision, it was a clear robbery," Ibrahimović stated.

Ibrahimović also criticized Portugal's captain, Ronaldo, arguing that the team cannot rely on him to win a World Cup. He pointed to Gonçalo Ramos, who scored after coming on as a substitute, as a better option. "You can't expect to win a World Cup with Ronaldo as a starter when Gonçalo Ramos is on the bench and scored. It's not about leadership, it's about ego. Ronaldo no longer has the same mobility and lives more on his reputation than his performance. The insistence on starting him is based on nostalgia, not on current performance," he said.

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You can't expect to win a World Cup with Ronaldo as a starter when Gonçalo Ramos is on the bench and scored. It's not about leadership, it's about ego. Ronaldo no longer has the same mobility and lives more on his reputation than his performance. The insistence on starting him is based on nostalgia, not on current performance.

While acknowledging Portugal's superiority and more frequent chances, Ibrahimović praised Croatia's fight until the end. He singled out Rafael Leão's excellent performance, contrasting it with Pedro Neto and Bruno Fernandes. "Portugal was superior and created more chances, but Croatia fought until the end and deserved better luck. Modrić and Kovačić left with their heads held high. I was not satisfied with the performances of Pedro Neto and Bruno Fernandes; on the contrary, Rafael Leão was excellent and caused many problems for the opposing defense," he concluded.

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Portugal was superior and created more chances, but Croatia fought until the end and deserved better luck. Modrić and Kovačić left with their heads held high. I was not satisfied with the performances of Pedro Neto and Bruno Fernandes; on the contrary, Rafael Leão was excellent and caused many problems for the opposing defense.