2018 FIFA World Cup | England vs Sweden: David Beckham’s bet with Zlatan Ibrahimovic is something else

Former England skipper David Beckham (Photo: AFP)


Most people have called the top half of the draw at the 2018 FIFA World Cup as the one to watch, but for those whose countries are playing in the bottom half, it’s the one they’ll be watching with baited breaths on Saturday night.

When England take on Sweden on the Samara Arena, there’ll be plenty of bets riding on the tie, but one wager that has been struck between two footballing legends will be of special interest to fans.

It all started when outspoken Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic posted this on his Instagram:

While the maverick still hasn’t hung up his boots, he’s been retired from international football for a while now and has been regularly posting messages of support for the Swedish national team.

However,  not only did former England skipper David Beckham accept the bet, he officially raised the stakes with a wager of his own:

(Photo: Zlatan Ibrahimovic /Instagram)

So the bet is, but who will win?

DON’T MISS | England vs Sweden Preview: Is it coming home?

Neither side is unbeaten in Russia, with Sweden having lost 1-2 to Germany in the group-stages while England went down 1-0 to Belgium in their Group G game.

The match kicks off at 19.30 IST.

Hosts Russia take on Croatia in the second quarter-final on the night( 23.30 IST), with the winner of that tie set to face the victory of the England-Sweden clash in the semi-finals on Wednesday night.