Ibrahimovic reveals OM supporters threw knives at him at the Vélodrome

Zlatan Ibrahimovic claimed that Olympique de Marseille supporters threw knives at him on the pitch during a match at the Orange Vélodrome while he played for Paris Saint-Germain (2012-2016). The anecdote was shared during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel’s show, broadcast on ABC.

“They threw knives at me on the pitch. I remember, we were playing an away match in Marseille. It was quite heated. And when we scored, we did our celebration, we went towards the corner flag,” said the Swedish striker.

Faced with this hostility, Ibrahimovic said he took matters into his own hands by warning his teammates before the rest of the match. “The next goal we score, we celebrate in the middle. We don’t go to the sides. Straight away. I want to still be alive after the match,” he reportedly told them, thus refusing to celebrate goals near the corner flags.

The context lends weight to the anecdote: in ten matches played against OM while wearing a PSG shirt, Ibrahimovic scored nine goals, making him a prime target of the Marseille crowd’s passion — and resentment.

After leaving Paris in 2016, the Swede successively played for Manchester United, LA Galaxy and AC Milan, before taking on an advisory role at the Lombard club under the new American ownership.