One of the more remarkable things about Zlatan Ibrahimovic is his willingness to answer a question about pretty much any subject, even if it doesn’t have anything to do with him and his team. When asked about the question of the best striking duo in the Premier League: Robin van Persie & Wayne Rooney from Manchester United or Luis Suarez & Daniel Sturridge from Liverpool, Ibra simply answered by showing he has no idea who Sturridge is.
And if Ibrahimovic doesn’t follow the Premier League closely, it’s not all that surprising. Despite being the leading scorer in England this season, Sturridge is a relatively unknown figure in European football. The 24-year old has only 25 career appearances in continental competitions, the last of which over a year ago while being a bench player for Chelsea. Playing 8 times for the national team hasn’t helped raise his international profile as well.
Maybe Ibrahimovic does know who Sturridge is, and was simply making his usual jokes by dissing Sturridge, showing he shouldn’t be compared with players like the ones mentioned with him in the comparison. Sturridge has been on fire since signing for Liverpool last January, scoring 21 goals in 27 matches, but that hasn’t been enough to make him a star around Europe, especially among those who don’t follow the Premier League closely.
What is the best striking duo in England? The numbers suggest Suarez and Sturridge are better, but most would agree that Sturridge is the fourth best player in this group, and the least gifted and talented when it comes to anything but actually scoring.