Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been accused of doping earlier in his career by former Swedish athletics coach Ulf Karlsson.
Speaking to NWT, Karlsson has insisted that the forward’s weight gain during his time at Juventus is evidence that he was taking substances.
“[Footballers] are more exempt from tests that other individual athletes,” Karlsson began. “Zlatan gained ten kilograms of muscle mass in just six months at Juventus.
“It’s impossible to do this in such a short amount of time.”
Karlsson also suggested that Zlatan’s then-teammate Albin Ekdal, who currently plays for Hamburg in the Bundesliga, was also doping.
“Ekdal took on eight kilograms at the same club,” Karlsson continued. “I believe that was a culture that existed at Juventus time at the time.
“They had a doctor who had previously been suspended for 22 months.”
34-year-old hitman Ibrahimovic—who scored against Manchester City in PSG’s Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday evening—enjoyed great success during his two-year stay at Juventus, winning two Serie A titles.
However, both of those crowns were later revoked as a result of the Calciopoli scandal, and the latest allegations aimed at the striker will only add to the sense of controversy about this period in Juve’s history.
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He moved to Juve in 2004 after beginning his career with Malmo FF in his homeland and Ajax. He left for Inter Milan in 2006, and won a further three Serie A title during his time in Lombardy.
The forward moved onto Barcelona, before returning to Italian football with AC Milan—initially on loan—before moving permanently in 2011.