Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic said he's the victim of "undercover racism" in his native Sweden and doesn't receive due credit from the country's media because of the fact he doesn't have a traditional Swedish surname.
Ibrahimovic, 36, spoke to French broadcaster Canal+ and said he does not receive the same treatment as other Swedish athletes because he doesn't have a surname like Andersson or Svensson (h/t ESPN FC's Rob Dawson):
"What does the Swedish media do? They defend me, or do they jump on and attack me? They still attack me, because they cannot accept that I am Ibrahimovic.
"If another player would do same mistake I do, they would defend him. But when it comes to me, they don't defend me.
"This is about racism. This is about racism. I don't say there is racism, but I say there is undercover racism.
"This exists, I am 100 percent sure, because I am not Andersson or Svensson. If I would be that, trust me, they would defend me even if I would rob a bank. They would defend me, I tell you."