Shawcross claims Ibrahimovic 'ruined' his England career
Stoke defender Ryan Shawcross claims that Zlatan Ibrahimovic "ruined" his international career when the striker scored four past England in 2012.
Shawcross won his one and only cap so far for England against Ibrahimovic's Sweden side in a friendly in November 2012, being introduced as a 74th-minute substitute.
The Three Lions were leading 2-1 in Stockholm when the Stoke defender came on, but Ibrahimovic struck three more times - including a stunning overhead kick from outside the area - as the Swedes eventually won 4-2.
Despite his consistently impressive performances for Stoke since then, Shawcross has so far failed to win another England cap.
"I'm the butt of the joke in my family, just because the 10 minutes I had in international football was ruined by one man," he told the Telegraph.
"They are consistently saying that Zlatan ruined my career! I had a chance and I don't think many other defenders have stopped him.
"I was given 10 minutes to show what I could do and probably didn't provide a good enough performance. I was against one of the best strikers in the world who was on a hot streak at the time and these things happen."
Shawcross has managed just 14 Premier League appearances for Stoke in an injury-hit campaign so far, but the Potters have kept seven clean sheets during those games.
The 28-year-old missed their 2-1 win over Watford at the weekend with injury, but is hoping to be back in action following the international break as Stoke chase a European spot.
Shawcross could become reacquainted with Ibrahimovic next season if the Paris Saint-Germain striker, who is out of contract in the summer, moves to the Premier League.
