Zlatan Ibrahimovic says he has 'put France on the world map'

  • Published
Zlatan IbrahimovicImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is Paris St-Germain's all-time leading scorer

Striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has claimed his goalscoring exploits for Paris St-Germain have "put France on the map".

France won their home World Cup in 1998, but Ibrahimovic believes his 115 goals for PSG have helped boost the country's football profile.

The 34-year-old, who has scored 59 goals in 109 appearances for Sweden, said: "I'm very happy about that."

Ibrahimovic is preparing for Sweden's Euro 2016 play-off against Denmark on Saturday.

A place at next summer's finals is the prize for the victors.

"I would love to play at the European Championship in France," said Ibrahimovic.

"I have played there for four years. I have put Sweden on the world map and now I have put France on the world map too."

Next summer could be Ibrahimovic's last opportunity to play at a major tournament, but he believes he is getting better with age.

Ibrahimovic has scored nine goals in 11 Ligue 1 matches so far this season.

He said: "I have better statistics than before.

"So if I'm old and getting weak and still doing what I do, imagine if I was good and young. What I would do then?"

Sweden host Denmark in the first leg of their play-off on Saturday, with the return leg on 17 November.

Around the BBC

Related internet links

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.