Zlatan Ibrahimovic was awarded his tenth Tapiro D’Oro of his career by actor Valerio Staffelli after Feyenoord eliminated AC Milan in the 2024/25 Champions League play-off phase over two legs.
Ibrahimovic, widely considered as one of the strongest footballers in history, earned numerous awards during his illustrious career, which lasted from 1999 to 2023. He has played for Barcelona, Manchester United, and Ajax.
But, after hanging up his boots and becoming senior adviser on the red side of the San Siro derby in the summer of 2023, he has continued to add to his bulging trophy cabinet with the Tapir d’Oro – but what is the lesser-known trophy?
What is the Tapir d’oro?
AC Milan’s Morata got an accolade earlier this season.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has received the award Tapiro d'Oro after Milan was knocked out of the Champions League. They give the award to celebrities or politicians who have been defeated or humiliated. pic.twitter.com/BxJxuo9XRL
— 🇸🇪 (@SwedeStats) February 20, 2025
His latest Tapir d’Oro occurred after the Italian behemoths were humiliated by Dutch club Feyenoord, losing 2-1 on aggregate. After being humiliated, Malmo-born Ibrahimovic became the newest recipient of the ever-expanding Tapid d’Oro.
The Tapir d’Oro, often known as the ‘Golden Tapir’ in English, is a humorous Italian TV award awarded to celebrities in Italy following disaster or an unpleasant event in the press, usually by actor Valerio Staffelli. Ultimately, the goal is to mock the public figure.
According to MilanNews, the Swede gladly accepted the ninth Tapiro d’Oro of his career. Ibrahimovic expressed his unhappiness with the two-legged result, but felt that the trophy was ‘fully merited’. The attention is now entirely on other competitions.
We are unhappy and indignant; the Tapiro was well-deserved. It was not a good moment. Yesterday, there was a lack of maturity, but now the goal is to stay together as a group for the title and the Coppa Italia.
AC Milan (at the time of writing) is seventh in Serie A and believes they were unfairly eliminated from the Champions League. What remains to be played for is the Coppa Italia and a spot at Europe’s top table in 2025/26.
Alvaro Morata of AC Milan, who is now on loan at Turkish side Galatasaray till the end of the season, picked it up following the Spaniard’s move to San Siro. According to SempreMilan, the Mayor of Corbetta has proclaimed his presence in the area.
That, of course, caused problems for the centre forward, and the aforementioned Staffelli was present to celebrate and award the player for the social media mix-up. Previous champions include Paolo Maldini and Gianluigi Buffon.
Former player Andrea Pirlo, recognised as one of the best passers in football history, as well as famed managerial combination Antonio Conte and Massimiliano Allegri, have already received the award, as shown in the photographs below.
Andrea Pirlo ontving vandaag de Tapiro D’Oro, De Gouden Tapir, die door een Italiaans tv-programma wordt uitgereikt aan de ‘ongelukkigste’ persoon van de week.
Dat hoeft overigens weinig te betekenen, kijkend naar de andere Juve-trainers die de prijs wel eens hebben ontvangen. pic.twitter.com/bSU74SAM79
— Wesley Victor Mak 🇮🇹 (@WesleyVictorMak) October 30, 2020
