Mural of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Romelu Lukaku appears outside San Siro

Mural of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Romelu Lukaku squaring up to each other during heated Milan derby clash appears outside the San Siro ahead of potential Serie A title-decider between Inter and AC this weekend

  • Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Romelu Lukaku clashed in a fiery Milan derby last month 
  • AC Milan striker Ibrahimovic scored but got a red as Inter came back to win 2-1 
  • Swede was accused – and later cleared of – using racist language towards Lukaku
  • Their altercation is now depicted in a mural outside the shared San Siro stadium
  • The caption of the mural, written in English, reads: ‘Face to face, heart to heart.’ 

Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Romelu Lukaku’s on-pitch clash has been commemorated in street art ahead of a potentially title-deciding Milan derby on Sunday.

The mural, by an as yet unidentified artist, appeared outside the clubs’ shared San Siro stadium in the early hours on Sunday morning, a week before the sides play again.

It has a caption, written in English, which reads: ‘Face to face, heart to heart.’

The clash between Romelu Lukaky and Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been depicted in a Milan mural

The duo faced off in an ill-tempered Milan derby last month, which saw Ibrahimovic sent off

AC Milan forward Ibrahimovic (left) received a yellow but later on got his marching orders

Romelu Lukaku (left) also got a yellow but scored a penalty as Inter Milan came back to win 2-1

In the Coppa Italia on January 26, the last time the two sides played, AC Milan striker Ibrahimovic scored and was then sent off for two bookable offences, the first of which was for an aggressive altercation with Romelu Lukaku.

Lukaku scored a second-half penalty and Christian Eriksen then slotted home a 97th-minute free-kick to complete a dramatic stoppage-time comeback for Inter Milan. 

Both strikers were booked following their feud, with the pair squaring up, clashing heads and exchanging insults, with audio picked up on camera with no crowd in the stadium.

The 39-year-old (left) was accused, and then cleared of, using racist language towards Lukaku 

Lukaku was furious at what the Swede said and their feud will likely continue in Sunday’s clash

The Belgian was furious at what Ibrahimovic said and needed to be held back by team-mates after what he heard.

Ibrahimovic, now 39, was criticised on social media for his comments but denied using racist language, and was later cleared of the charge.

AC Milan won the reverse fixture 2-1 in October, but lost the Coppa Italia quarter-final last month and suffered a shock 2-0 defeat to Spezia last Saturday.

Inter, led by former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte, have since overtaken their intra-city rivals with a 3-1 win against Lazio and currently lie one point and one place above Stefano Pioli’s side ahead of Sunday’s crucial Serie A showdown.




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