Zlatan Ibrahimovic once failed QPR trail after telling coach to 'f*** off' | OneFootball

When it comes to some of the biggest personalities in football, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has to be right up near the top.

The Swedish man-mountain is one of the greatest strikers of his generation, and know one understands that fact better than he does.

As one of modern-day football's greatest journeymen, Zlatan has done the business in some of Europe's top leagues with stints in Premier League, La Liga, Ligue 1 and Serie A.

He even took a trip across the Atlantic to conquer MLS football in the United States before returning to European shores with AC Milan.

He is one of the true characters of the game having built an entire identity around his supreme confidence in his own ability.

Some like to call it 'arrogance' but then, you have to have a little self-belief to reach his level.

However, while that bravado is part and parcel of who he is now, it hasn't served him very well in the past.

One particular story from his youth proves that Zlatan's monster ego could very nearly have scuppered his career entirely before it ever got going.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, a former youth teammate of Zlatan's spoke of the time he and the Swedish legend failed a trial at London's Queen's Park Rangers as teenagers.

Tony Fygare, who was a youth prospect at Malmo with Zlatan, recounted the 1998 story to the Daily Mail in 2014.

“Zlatan was holding on to the ball for too long and the trainer tackled him when he wasn’t expecting it," he began.

“He went mad at Zlatan,” Flygare continued.

“Being in England was so much different. He just told Zlatan: ‘For that, you’re going to breathe through your arse’. I’ll never forget it.

"We didn’t hear from QPR again. Zlatan didn’t want to play or stay in England, that is my opinion.”

Imagine how different the world of football might look if Zlatan hadn't flown off the handle at a QPR coach.

At the time, the Swede would've looked nothing more than a testy teenager but it seems that even then he exuded an air of supremacy.

As we all no know, he would go on to be one of the most fearsome hitmen in the game so it seems the QPR set back didn't take too much toll on his career.

Whether he's a teenager or a weathered veteran, never get on the wrong side of Zlatan.