Zlatan Ibrahimovic Has Matched This Premier League Legend’s Goalscoring Records
Jan 16, 2017 at 5:36 PM
Zlatan Ibrahimovic had no shortage of doubters when he joined Manchester United as a free agent during the summer.
Despite arriving at Old Trafford having netted 64 goals last season with Paris Saint-Germain, some questioned whether the veteran Swede could maintain his enviable strike rate in the English top-flight.
But as Zlatan usually finds a way of doing, he didn’t take long to make them eat their words.
The 35-year-old scored four goals in his first three outings for his new club before enduring a dry spell that would see him ripple the net only once in his next 11 appearances.
Fresh concerns arose over his capacity to lead the United line – but Ibrahimovic has again silenced his critics, only this time in record-breaking fashion.
The retired Sweden international – who scored a late equaliser in the Red Devils’ 1-1 draw with Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday – is officially part of the Premier League elite.
His 83rd-minute header snuck over the line after clipping the underside of the crossbar to put him level with a host of top-flight legends for their goalscoring records in just over half a season.
Ibrahimovic has now hit 14 strikes in his first 20 Premier League appearances – the same return as Newcastle icon Alan Shearer and Manchester City star Sergio Aguero, as per Opta statistics.
14 – Zlatan Ibrahimovic has scored 14 goals in his first 20 PL games – the same total as Alan Shearer and Sergio Aguero. Elite.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 15, 2017
His prolific efforts are nothing short of incredible considering he’s producing them in the latter stages of his career, but even so, they’re not quite chart-topping numbers.
United legend Ruud van Nistelrooy scored 15 goals during the same period, while Andy Cole hit 18 for Newcastle prior to signing for the Old Trafford outfit.
At the top of the pile, however, is Sunderland striker Kevin Phillips – who netted 19 times in his first 20 Premier League appearances during the 1999/00 season.
20 – Most goals for @ManUtd after first 20 Premier League apps:
van Nistelrooy – 15
Yorke -15
Ibrahimovic – 14
van Persie – 14Prolific.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 15, 2017
Ibrahimovic isn’t a man who’s used to being bested by others but he can have few complaints about his start to life in a United shirt.
With 14 goals to his name, the enigmatic frontman is on par with Diego Costa and Alexis Sanchez in the race for the Golden Boot this term.