Football
Arindam Rej, Man United Correspondent 7y

Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Lee Mason should apologise for disallowed goal

Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has said that referee Lee Mason should apologise to him for disallowing his strike against Middlesbrough, a goal that would have seen him level Lionel Messi as the highest goal scorer in Europe's top five leagues in the calendar year of 2016.

Ibrahimovic scored 50 times for Paris Saint-Germain and United, while Barcelona forward Messi ended the year on 51, meaning the 35-year-old Swede was just one short.

United went on to win the match 2-1, but the game was goalless when Ibrahimovic had a first-half strike ruled out for a high foot, as goalkeeper Victor Valdes came out to try to block.

Ibrahimovic told United's official website: "It was a little bit of a shame because it was a nice goal. He [the referee] should apologise to me because you don't take away a nice goal like that.

"Trust me, this one was a good one. I protected the keeper, even when I did it. The images say everything." 

Mourinho said, in his postmatch news conference after the Middlesbrough game, that the ruled out strike was more disappointing because the Swede missed out on the record.

He said: "Obviously Lee Mason will be very disappointed for sure because now he knows [the decision was wrong].

"That would have made Zlatan and Messi top scorers in 2016 so it is a decision that stops him being with such an amazing player as Messi, which is quite frustrating."

Ibrahimovic is in fine form, having scored 18 goals in all competitions this season, including a run of 12 goals in his 12 most recent matches.

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