Zlatan Ibrahimovic was unable to settle properly at Barcelona because he was vying with Lionel Messi for 'more space' on the pitch.
That is the view of Barcelona's former marketing director Marc Ingla, who told Telefoot (via Goal) the real reason behind Ibrahimovic's departure after just one season with the Catalan giants.
The now-Manchester United striker spent just 12 months at the Camp Nou after he completed a switch to Spain in the summer of 2009, before he left to head back to Italy to join AC Milan.
Ibrahimovic had claimed that a breakdown in relationship with then manager Pep Guardiola was the main decision behind him upping sticks from Barcelona, but Ingla claims that it was the 35-year-old's ability to take up too much space in Barcelona's side that led to his departure.
Ingla said: Why it did not work for Ibra at Barca? Zlatan is a beast, a machine “ but he was next to another, smaller machine.
Ibrahimovic was too static, Messi needed more space. Zlatan took up too much of it. There was a bit of friction, I think.�
Back in 2013, Ibrahimovic had revealed that he left La Blaugrana because his working relationship with Guardiola had become irretrievable due to a breakdown in communications between the pair.
He had said: "Guardiola is a fantastic coach. But as a human? He is a coward. He is no man.
"I told him that if I don't fit here, you have to please tell me that. But all I got was sweet talk: 'Ibra you are a super player, you do everything right.' But I still ended up on the bench."
The former Sweden international, though, was more effusive in his praise for 29-year-old Messi, who he described as 'one of a kind' in an interview late last year.
He said: "I think Messi is one of a kind. I don't know if we will see another player do the things that he does because he has his style and to become that player, I don't think it's possible.
"I had the luck to see him every day, I said before, it's like playing PlayStation: You give the ball to the guy and you start to go through every player and that's who Messi is."
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