Swedish football superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic followed up a week of big talk with a huge performance as he struck a stunning hat-trick in the Los Angeles derby on Friday night.
Ibrahimovic, who earlier in the week had described himself as being "like a Ferrari" in a league full of "Fiats," produced the goods in the derby match between his LA Galaxy side and Los Angeles FC – a match known to fans Stateside as 'El Trafico'.
And the Swedish star stepped up to the big occasion in spectacular fashion as he hit a 'Perfect Hat-Trick' with goals from his right foot, left foot, and his head.
It led commentator Peter Drury to dub Ibrahimovic "a true Hollywood entertainer," as the Galaxy ran out 3-2 winners.
In the lead-up to the match, Ibrahimovic was asked whether he was the best player in the MLS, considering LAFC striker Carlos Vela was ahead of him in the scoring charts.
Ibrahimovic was very blunt in his response.
"By far," he stated. "Because he's (Vela) in his prime.
"How old is he? Twenty-nine. And he's playing in MLS and he's in his prime.
"When I was 29 (I was in Europe). Big difference."
And after he backed up his pre-match words with a match-winning hat-trick, he criticized the media for their pre-match comparisons between him and Vela.
"Please do not offend me, I don't need to prove nothing, even if I don't score the goals today," he said at the post-match press conference.
"I have a lot of respect for Vela, he's a good player, but you did one mistake, you compared him with me, that was your biggest mistake.
"I have my confidence and I believe in myself. People call it arrogant, I call it confidence. Ignorant people call it arrogant, intelligent people call it confidence.
"I have a bulletproof mind. When I go out there, I know what I'm able to prove – and I do it good."
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