Zlatan Ibrahimovic vs Edinson Cavani - Comparing their United careers

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

With Edinson, I feel like he impacts our build-up play more, his work-rate is miles better, as is his movement but the only issue is the need to manage his game time. With Zlatan you have a bit more than an in-the-box striker, he has the capability to score all sorts of goals, he would play league and Europa league games for us and has a better scoring record.

Which former PSG veteran do you think is a better fit for us?

 

[Paul_Scholes18]

Zlatan way better overall, but we did not have great league sucess with him. Key to win the league cup though with 2 goals in the final.

Cavani only have 8 league goals and not been that good overall for us, but his performance tonight can take us to an EL title.

 

[FootyGirl88]

I knew this thread was coming, i could feel it

 

[Ali Dia]

I’d say neck and neck if Cavani wins the EL too. The thing is you can only wonder what it would have been like if we’d just went out and got them in their prime.

 

[OverratedOpinion]

Zlatan is a freak of nature and pretty unfair to compare any player to him that is not Ronaldo and Messi.

Although with that said Cavani is more mobile and thus suits the system more than Zlatan would.

 

[calodo2003]

I knew this thread was coming, i could feel it

Yep.

Tough to directly compare the two due to Cavani’s lack of games, but Cavani’s impact of late definitely warrants some comparison with Zlatan.

 

[0le]

Does anyone else get Ruud vs Saha vibes?

 

[horsechoker]

Zlatan is a freak of nature and pretty unfair to compare any player to him that is not Ronaldo and Messi.

Although with that said Cavani is more mobile and thus suits the system more than Zlatan would.

Overrated opinion

5/10 for me

 

[GifLord]

Zlatan is a freak of nature and pretty unfair to compare any player to him that is not Ronaldo and Messi.

Although with that said Cavani is more mobile and thus suits the system more than Zlatan would.

Are you joking?

The guy was known as a big time choker in the 00s that only produced flashes of brilliance every now and then.

 

[OverratedOpinion]

Are you joking?

The guy was known as a big time choker in the 00s that only produced flashes of brilliance every now and then.

Over 500 goals, won the league nearly everywhere he went whilst being the best player on most of those teams and he is only known as a "big time choker"?

Okay

 

[VeevaVee]

Zlatan seemed to have a big effect on us as a team but his actual play wasn’t that special most of the time. I think Cavani is much better in that regard.

 

[Eternitiy]

I've always been a fan of Cavani and his style of play. I think he would have been special in the same team as Rooney. Shame we could never see it.

Are you joking?

The guy was known as a big time choker in the 00s that only produced flashes of brilliance every now and then.

He's been in dominant in every country he's played in. Even for Barcelona, his numbers were great despite him not fitting into Guardiola's system perfectly. The one negative against him is that he probably hasn't the most comparatively impressive Champions League record, I would imagine.

 

[GifLord]

Over 500 goals, won the league nearly everywhere he went whilst being the best player on most of those teams and he is only known as a "big time choker"?

Okay

You do realize 1/3 of his goals(156) are from ligue 1 where he played for the most dominant side in the league? In his last season there they won the league title in DECEMBER ffs!!
https://www.goal.com/en/news/1717/e...s-official-barcelonas-zlatan-ibrahimovic-is-a this article from the late 00s says it all.
But then all of a sudden he starts scoring for fun in Ligue 1 and scores an acrobatic goal from time to time and becomes the hipster's choice goat

This was ibra in the 00s

In two years with Juventus, and three with Inter, Ibra scored just nine European goals in 41 appearances.

 

[el3mel]

I like both, but Zlatan was better for us and in general he's the better player, and Zlatan did play a huge part in our build up play back then. He was in the heart of all our attacks.

 

[OverratedOpinion]

You do realize 1/3 of his goals(156) are from ligue 1 where he played for the most dominant side in the league? In his last season there they won the league title in DECEMBER ffs!!
https://www.goal.com/en/news/1717/e...s-official-barcelonas-zlatan-ibrahimovic-is-a this article from the late 00s says it all.
But then all of a sudden he starts scoring for fun in Ligue 1 and scores an acrobatic goal from time to time and all of a sudden he's the hipster's choice goat

Did I say he was the "goat"?

I think over the last 15 years there is almost a competition for being the third best. I think that Zlatan is very clearly one of the main candidates for that. He scored a lot of goals in France yes. Also in Holland, Spain, Italy and England. Essentially won the league for an average AC Milan on his own with 30+ goals, won the league for Inter, came to United and helped us win the League cup and Europa League despite being 35 at the time. Still one of the top scorers in Italy whilst being nearly 40.

I am not sure what is so laughable but carry on with the emojis I guess. Also yes there was some bad press written about him when he was at Barcelona because he did not suit their style of play and Pep did not want him, he did fine there.

 

[Withnail]

You do realize 1/3 of his goals(156) are from ligue 1 where he played for the most dominant side in the league? In his last season there they won the league title in DECEMBER ffs!!
https://www.goal.com/en/news/1717/e...s-official-barcelonas-zlatan-ibrahimovic-is-a this article from the late 00s says it all.
But then all of a sudden he starts scoring for fun in Ligue 1 and scores an acrobatic goal from time to time and becomes the's the hipster's choice goat

This was ibra in the 00s

Ok mate, a poorly written article from when he was at Barcelona where he didn't get on with anyone, had no respect for Pep or his team of 'schoolboys' and didn't fit the style of play is proof of what exactly?

He still scored over 20 goals that season by the way.

The guy has played everywhere, scored hatfuls of goals and won titles while doing so.

 

[GifLord]

Did I say he was the "goat"?

I think over the last 15 years there is almost a competition for being the third best. I think that Zlatan is very clearly one of the main candidates for that. He scored a lot of goals in France yes. Also in Holland, Spain, Italy and England. Essentially won the league for an average AC Milan on his own with 30+ goals, won the league for Inter, came to United and helped us win the League cup and Europa League despite being 35 at the time. Still one of the top scorers in Italy whilst being nearly 40.

I am not sure what is so laughable but carry on with the emojis I guess.

In Serie A he won the leagues at the clubs when most of the rivals were in decline - Late 00s Juve was proper shit and Milan were just starting to decline.
At Milan he scored 14 goals same as Pato and Robinho when they won the title. He scored over 30 in his next season(12 of them were pens btw)
At Barca 16 and was seen as a flop. Barca would have won the title without him.
He went to PSG who became the most dominant ligue 1 side


https://www.fourfourtwo.com/feature...n-juventus-barcelona-sweden-unpopular-opinion
He was very good in his prime but some of you are massively overrating him

 

[RedDevil@84]

Definitely Zlatan. His influence was immense in that team that seemed to have no proper cohesion. And he strolled through the 20 goal mark with ease. We could have done very well, if he had got another fully fit season with him.
Cavani is good. But he needs to stay fitter and make much more influence.

 

[OverratedOpinion]

In Serie A he won the leagues at the clubs when most of the rivals were in decline - Late 00s Juve was proper shit and Milan were just starting to decline.
At Milan he scored 14 goals same as Pato and Robinho when they won the title. He scored over 30 in his next season(12 of them were pens btw)
At Barca 16 and was seen as a flop. Barca would have won the title without him.
He went to PSG who became the most dominant ligue 1 side


https://www.fourfourtwo.com/feature...n-juventus-barcelona-sweden-unpopular-opinion
He was very good in his prime but some of you are massively overrating him

You are going to obscene lengths to downplay his achievements. Carry on I guess?

Here is an article talking about how overrated Pele was.

https://www.businessinsider.com/why-pele-is-overrated-2014-6?r=US&IR=T

 

[GifLord]

You are going to obscene lengths to downplay his achievements. Carry on I guess?

Here is an article talking about how overrated Pele was.

https://www.businessinsider.com/why-pele-is-overrated-2014-6?r=US&IR=T

There are many players in world football who played minor roles and have numerous achievements due to playing in teams with amazing players.
Also you're comparing an article from businesinsider to 442?


Last part from the 442 article

Ibrahimovic is the perfect football icon for the social media generation, and his over-inflated sense of self-worth, impressive personal statistics and penchant for a soundbite should ensure his cult status remains intact forever. Arguably, his best trick yet.

Hipster's choice

 

[Dante]

Cavani is miles better for the team. Even if he only scored half as many goals as Zlatan, Cavani's overall contribution to the team dynamic would still put him head and shoulders above.

Ibrahimovic did okay individually. But the static style of play Jose used was about getting the best out of him rather than the team. It was a big part of the reason we were so boring that season. There wasn't a team structure to speak of.

I know this is an over-simplified way of putting it, but we were a bit of a 'lump it up to the big man' team in 2016/17. By contrast, Cavani brings the best out of Bruno, Rashford, Greenwood and Pogba.

 

[Eddy_JukeZ]

Cavani is miles better for the team. Even if he only scored half as many goals as Zlatan, Cavani's overall contribution to the team dynamic would still put him head and shoulders above.

Ibrahimovic did okay individually. But the static style of play Jose used was about getting the best out of him rather than the team. It was a big part of the reason we were so boring that season. There wasn't a team structure to speak of.

Funny, but I thought from like October to November we played some good stuff and awful finishing + god-like goalkeeping let us down.

I thought we played much better stuff in 2016-2017 than we did the following season despite getting better results.

 

[Sb_16]

Swedes can go feck themselves (excluding the 99.99999% of the population)

 

[Champagne Football]

Would take Cavani any day over Zlatan.

Cavani far more of a team player. Doesn't have the monster ego of Zlatan.

Zlatan was brilliant, but an ego that size like Neymar also has, can sometimes bring imbalance to the dressing room and on the pitch too.

 

[RedDevilzFox]

Cavani certainly is more involved and involves others more too. With Zlatan you almost feel obligated to run everything thru him. Cavani also is more of a poacher in the box whereas Zlatan is more of a hold the ball type. Different type of players but certainly Cavani feels more fluid and better fit for the team.

 

[sglowrider]

Cavani plays more within a team concept. Creating chances or spaces for others, scoring and assisting -- works very hard for the team.
Zlat needs the team to play to his strengths and movements. Zlat wants/needs to be the main player/hero/God for the team.

So for me, Cavani all day long. He makes us as a 'team' less predictable.

 

[DRJosh]

I think Cavani plays to the team's strengths more than Zlatan did. Both great players.

But Zlatan felt like a great individual player in an average team (performance wise). Cavani seems to be a great team player in a team that has been on the upwards trajectory for some time.

 

[Yagami]

Cavani all day everyday.

I agree with @GifLord . I was never a big Zlatan fan throughout his career and found him overrated. Even his time here is overrated, imo. Sure, he was our top goalscorer, but I thought he had a negative impact on our general play as he'd always drop deep and lose the ball through trying passes he couldn't pull off or being outmuscled by the opposition despite being much bigger than them. On top of that, his laziness when we were defending was a hindrance, though understandable given his age, and the amount of sitters he missed was crazy.

Still, he had good moments for sure. His performance against Southampton in the cup final being the highlight.

On the other hand, Cavani excels for us in every department Zlatan was weak at on top of being a huge goal threat. Unlike Zlatan, he improves our general play as he hardly ever loses possession, plays smart passes instead of going for Hollywood balls, gives us a focal point up top, and helps the team out immensely out of possession which is vital to playing a pressing game and keeping the pressure on the opposition.

 

[The United]

Zlatan is an idiot with some weird ego. It might be worth having him on the team when at peak. But, at that time, I couldn't find much of a good influence for the team with him.

On the other hand, Cavani seems to be having a good influence, playing for the team and encouraging kids like Greenwood. Hopefully, Cavani can help them more.

 

[A-man]

PSG had both at their prime, at the same time... That’s what we need.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Zlatan is a freak of nature and pretty unfair to compare any player to him that is not Ronaldo and Messi.

Ridiculous. Just goes to show how much persona goes in overrating a player.

 

[Lelouch geass]

Zlatan was missing more chances. While Cavani is scoring half chance. Both are different and top strikers. I still Cavani is suited with United style and helping Greenwood while Zlatan influenced more with his attitude. Furthermore, team now is lot more positive in attacking ( 69 league goals) than it was in Zlatans time

 

[Nevilles.Wear.Prada]

We seem to always make such experienced astute signings over the years.
Sheringham, Larsson, Owen, RVP, zlatan and now cavani. Unless cavani wins something here, its easy to see why Zlatan is way ahead.
There is a reason why there is no "the cavani" jokes lying around.
Says all about the man's aura and immense stature in football.

 

[A-man]

If we look at the two older versions of the players, I too think Cavani fits United much better. The thing with Zlatan, even in his old version, is that he can win matches even playing in weaker teams. He is better with good players around him, but he doesn’t need them in the same way as Cavani. You can hoof the ball and he will suck it in and create something. I have watched Milan quite a lot and it is incredible how he create.

 

[Jacob]

Recency bias is strong here.

 

[Bebestation]

Zlatan as a striker was tactically built up. We were only ever going to be as good as him.

This is what Jose does with his central strikers - as you saw with Lukaku being a replacement; we were only going to be as good as Lukaku.

Cavani however doesn't need to be the sole tactic of the squad, he plays more as an added irritation centrally whilst players like Bruno, Pogba, Shaw, Rashford, Greenwood play around them.

I like Cavani's time here especially because it lacks the Mourinho's need of a central target man type striker.

 

[Redplane]

I think Cavani plays to the team's strengths more than Zlatan did. Both great players.

But Zlatan felt like a great individual player in an average team (performance wise). Cavani seems to be a great team player in a team that has been on the upwards trajectory for some time.

Qft. Cavani feels more like another RvP to me (in a good way) - Zlatan was Zlatan and then Zlatan moved on (even though tbf he did seem to bring some enjoyment to the team). I get excited by the little things Cavani does, even when he doesn't score. He can have a great game and not be on the sheet. With Zlatan I felt that if he didnt get on the sheet then it was almost as if he didn't play. Not sure if that makes sense.

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

With both in their respective United abilities? Hmm that's a really difficult decision. People slate Ibra for the "sitters" he missed but every striker misses sitters, they are just more remembered with him because those sides didn't create tons of chances. Cavani is obviously more active and a bit less selfish. Ibra brings a bit more "magic" as well as being a better technical player. I also think he would have absolutely bagged playing in our current side and style, back then it was basically him getting the ball to Pogba then praying he can find the pass because that team was dreadful creatively besides those two. I'll give a slight edge to Cavani as I think his ability to constantly be active off of the ball fits in well off of our other players that tend to want the ball to their feet, which is something Ibra preferred as well.

 

[Inigo Montoya]

Should Chuck Henrik Larsson into the mix if we’re comparing veteran strikers

 

[tenpoless]

I actually want to see both playing in front of Bruno, even the current Zlatan. The amount of fecking goals just between the three alone....