Zlatan Ibrahimovic has claimed he did not applaud Cristiano Ronaldo during the World Cup play-off 3-2 defeat to Portugal.
The 32-year-old Ibrahimovic scored twice in the enthralling encounter in Stockholm, but could only watch on as the Real Madrid star put Sweden to the sword with a hat-trick, which secured Portugal’s place in the World Cup next summer.
Footage from the game appeared to show Ibrahimovic clapping in admiration after Ronaldo had tucked away his third goal of the game.
But the Swede insisted this was not the case: “Was I applauding Ronaldo? No, I was just trying to encourage my team-mates," Ibrahimovic told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
"I clapped my hands to cheer them up and motivate them for the last few minutes.
"We had already gone down before. It is important not to give up until the final whistle because the unexpected can always happen."
The pair have been nominated for the Ballon d’Or 2013 award along with the likes of Lionel Messi and Franck Ribery, but Ronaldo’s recent performances have seen him tipped to win the award for the first time.
Ibrahimovic admitted that he is an admirer of the 28-year-old’s talents, but was reluctant to suggest that Ronaldo was the best in the world.
He added: "He's obviously a great player, but we allowed him way too much space. Nobody's as good as he is on the counter-attack. This game once more showed his biggest qualities," added Ibrahimovic.
"Is he the best player in the world? I can only say that he scored one goal more than I did."
