When Swedish football superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic was quoted as saying: "I am like wine — I improve with age. I do not feel on the decline, quite the opposite," it got us thinking, what other footballers resemble wine varietals. 

Like blue vein cheese with an unwooded chardonnay on a moderately warm spring day, some of the matches felt made to be. Others required a more refined palate, while some left a stringent, bitter taste. 

Here are our final picks:

Zlatan Ibrahimovic - Cabernet Sauvignon

Big, powerful and bold, the Cab Sav is a popular wine that contains plenty of tannins, giving it good cellaring potential. Zlatan claims to be like a fine wine, but it remains to be seen whether the 34 year-old will be left in the cellar once his deal at PSG expires. 

Cristiano Ronaldo - Pinot noir

An increasingly popular varietal but notoriously difficult to work with, the pinot thrives in European climates, but can be temperamental on a global stage, a bit like polarising figure Ronaldo, who recently conceded winning the European championships would cap off an illustrious career in which he's achieved it all, except any type of success in a World Cup.

Lionel Messi - Champagne

Expensive and small amounts are intoxicating. Large amounts can cause some serious damage. Is there a more apt description of the Argentinian half of the Messi v Ronaldo debate?

Nicklas Bendtner - La Maison (non-alcoholic) wine

It looks like wine, it has 'wine' in the title and it kind of tastes a bit like wine. It's just not wine. That's not to say La Maison doesn't have a place on supermarket aisles or peoples' hearts - a bit like the meme-tastic Dane, whose legion of ironic admirers refer to him as 'lord Bendtner'.  

Mile Jedinak - goon

Underrated, this oft cringed-at variety doesn't cost much and gets the job done, thus endearing it to people. Socceroos captain Jedinak is more often gritty than pretty, but he's one player that you can't argue leaves absolutely nothing on the pitch. Australian fans don't like to admit it, but there's a place in their hearts for Jedinak, like there's always a place in the fridge for a bag of goon. 

Paul Pogba - Chardonnay

Versatile and incredibly popular in France, this is a go-to drop and has good maturation potential, given the right conditions.

Ronaldinho - Merlot

Merlots don't age particularly well, reminding us of one-time best-player-in-the-universe candidate, Ronaldinho. As age and nightclubs across the world have wearied the flamboyant Brazilian play-maker, fans are increasingly left to find his best moments in the annals of youtube highlights, like this one: