Here is the initial bet:
If Sweden wins, Beckham will take his English counterpart to IKEA to buy anything he wants there; if it is the other way round, Ibrahimovic offers to take Beckham to eat wherever he wants "in the world."
Beckham has come up with a few tweaks to the bet, and Ibrahimovic notably agreed: “Let’s go,” he said. This is what Beckham has come up with:
“If the Swedish team wins, I will personally take you to Swedish IKEA and buy you whatever you need for the new mansion in LA, but when the English team win, I want you to come watch England’s game at Wembley wearing an English shirt and enjoy fish & chips at half time…”
The store also chimed in to respond that they’d be happy to treat Beckham to kottbullar (famous Swedish cuisine meatballs) and lingonberry sauce, which traditionally goes with meat in the Nordic country. The exchange has stirred up a frenzy in the comment section, with users eagerly placing their bets over the game outcome:
“England 2, Sweden 1,” one user noted, with another one continuing:
“Haha @iamzlatanibrahimovicsweden wins today so @davidbeckhammake sure your visa card is working because you’re going to lose.”
A Danish user has taken a different stance, though: “yes, huh! Hope that England will win, so Zlatan is going to sit in the shirt during a fight and eat fish and chips.”
Positive remarks and loads of laughter also shortly arrived:
“Naughty Ibra,” one user remarked tongue-in-cheek, with another one adding: “fish n chips doesnt sound so bad.”
“ahaah, good deal,” another one summed up.
With some, it’s essentially striking a chord:
“It's coming home baby,” one user remarked, with another one adding “we [team England] will win.”
“He is sick, this guy,” one Instagram user noted in French.
Others ironically pointed to the fact that the football stars have fully engaged in serious talks:
“hahahahaa legends talkin shop,” one suggested, while another one said: “zlatan must need a new sofa bed then eh 😂😂👊👊”
Some Instagrammers have picked up on the betting marathon, suggesting their own scenarios:
"If Sweden wins, you end up advertising for 12 months, winning England, so I start my account at Bethard and buy your creams at the pharmacy and your clothes. Deal???" one said in Swedish, apparently referring to Ibrahimovic’s clothing line and his personal pharmacy brand.
Some globe-trotter has come up with a rather personal suggestion:
“Dear @iamzlatanibrahimovic and @davidbeckham if the match ends in a draw, you can give me vouchers to travel with @ryanair,” he asked.
Another user, from Russia, has posed a similar question:
"Hey, boys!!! @iamzlatanibrahimovic @davidbeckham how about this? if England and Sweden play in a draw in regular time, will you send me your shirts with signatures?"
Ibrahimovic is believed to be the best forward in the Swedish team’s history, having netted a total of 62 goals. In March, he left England’s Manchester United for the US’ LA Galaxy.
READ MORE: Maradona Apologizes to FIFA for Calling England Win 'Monumental Theft'
Beckham performed for the English national squad from 1996 to 2009. The midfielder played in 115 games for the national team and scored 17 goals. In 2012-2013 he played together with Ibrahimovic for the Paris Saint-Germain Football Club.
The Sweden-England World Cup quarterfinal bout will take place in Samara on July 7 at 5 p.m. Moscow Time.
