Zlatan Ibrahimovic put on a tour de force against LAFC this weekend, netting a hat trick and upstaging rival Carlos Vela. However, Ibra did more than just damage Vela’s ego. His forceful elbow (cheap shot?) on LAFC’s Mohamed El Mounir reportedly will send the defender into surgery to repair a broken cheek bone.

This is just unbelievable!!! ElMounir is going to have a surgery tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/XQnT8xEC5K — Amro Tarek (@AmroAbdelAziz) July 22, 2019

A potential surgery on a zygoma fracture like El Mounir’s would require 2-3 weeks for swelling and bruising to subside before evaluating a return to play. El Mounir may have to wear a facial mask upon returning.

Not the first time Zlatan has done this

In 2017, Zlatan received a three-game suspension for delivering the exact same blow to Bournemouth defender Tyrone Mings.

To be fair, in that case, Mings had previously stepped on Zlatan’s head.

No video or accounts have surfaced of El Mounir taking a cheap shot at Ibra.

Vela fires back at Ibra

If the LAFC-LA Galaxy derby couldn’t get any more heated, Carlos Vela has fired back at Zlatan’s claims of being the best in MLS. Vela insists that right now, he’s playing better than Zlatan.

Over the course of the season, it’s hard to argue with Vela. But on Saturday night, Zlatan has his way–for good and bad–with all of LAFC.