Sweden manager Erik Hamren has insisted that Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a better player than Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of his side's World Cup playoff tie against Portugal.

The former Rosenborg coach believes that the Paris Saint-Germain forward, who captains the national team, is the best player in the world.

"Zlatan for me is number one," he told reporters. "He is a world-class player, he is my captain and he is playing for Sweden. I say that he is the very best."

Hamren went on to say that many will view the match as a contest between Ibrahimovic and Ronaldo, noting that both players are in good form.

"Of course, it's a fight between these two world-class players," he added. "Zlatan needs support but if he gets that from the team then he can be the match winner.

"He has been scoring well recently, so that's good. But so has Ronaldo so maybe their form is pretty even. All I know is that Zlatan is in really good shape. He's feeling strong and that's good for us."

The two sides will meet in Portugal on Friday, with the return leg to take place in Sweden on Tuesday.

Written by
Mark Langshaw