Soccer star Zlatan Ibrahimovic says LeBron James should stop getting involved in politics and stick to basketball

• Zlatan Ibrahimovic says LeBron James should stop talking politics and stick to basketball.
• James has long been a campaigner for social justice in the United States.
• "Stay out of it, do what you're best at because it doesn't look good," the AC Milan striker said.

Soccer player Zlatan Ibrahimovic has taken aim at NBA star LeBron James by saying he should stop getting involved in politics and stick to playing basketball.

James has long been a campaigner for social justice in the United States.

He is at the forefront of the Black Lives Matter movement, and in June launched his "More Than a Vote" initiative which focused on improving voter turnout and reducing voter suppression in the Black community.

He was also critical of Donald Trump during his tenure as president, and has publicly spoken about the Capitol riots and the death of Breonna Taylor who was shot and killed in her home by Louisville police officers in March.

Speaking with Discovery+ Sweden, Ibrahimovic said: "He's phenomenal, but I don't like when people have some kind of status and they do politics and the same time as what they are doing.

"I mean, do what you're good at. Do the category you do. I play football because I'm the best at playing football. I don't do politics. If I would be a politician, I would do politics.

"This is the first mistake famous people do when they become famous and come in a certain status. Stay out of it, do what you're best at because it doesn't look good."

In the same interview, Ibrahimovic also ranked Brazil legend Ronaldo higher than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the pantheon of football's great players.

"I always tell everyone who plays with me: Ronaldo is football. That Ronaldo is football," he said.

"The way he moved, the way he did those step-overs, those mazy runs. In my view, he is the best player in history, no doubt about it."

Ronaldo scored 352 goals during his club career while representing FC Barcelona, Inter Milan, and Real Madrid, amongst others.

He also 62 international goals for Brazil, helping his country win two World Cups.