The former Manchester United, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain striker left the brave youngsters speechless after 'gatecrashing' an interview
FORMER Manchester United star Zlatan Ibrahimovic left the 12 Thai boys rescued from a cave speechless after surprising them on live TV.
The LA Galaxy striker, 37, praised the bravery of the children and hailed them as the “best team in the world” as he gatecrashed The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
The group, who play for Wild Boars, were headline news after they became trapped underground in northern Thailand on June 23.
Two British divers found the coach and players alive and a daring rescue mission was launched to save them.
Finally they emerged with rescuers on July 10 and have today spoken about their traumatic near-death experience with the American TV star Ellen.
The boys revealed how prayer and meditation helped them to stay calm while they were trapped during a heart-rendering interview.
But the Swedish hitman was on hand to raise a smile and surprise the group just moments after they had named him as their idol when Ellen called for the veteran to “come out” from behind the stage.
Ibrahimovic then emerged to leave the kids gobsmacked before they began to clap and smile as he said: “I thought that that was brave, but this team is braver than me.
“They showed their collective team work and had patience... believing in other hands also. This is probably the best team in the world.”
The boys then spoke of their dreams to get a good education before hoping to become professional footballers.
The boys, all aged between 11 and 16, disappeared along with their 25-year-old coach after football practice on June 23.
They had set out to explore the cave complex to celebrate a boy's birthday.
Rescuers then faced a race against time to find the boys as heavy rain continued to batter the region.
On June 28, British drivers joined the rescue and finally on July 2 the boys were discovered alive.
It was confirmed on July 10 that all 12 boys and their coach had been rescued after 17 days trapped in the flooded cave.
Cheers erupted outside the Thai cave when the rescue mission's chief confirmed that the four remaining boys and their coach would be saved.
The boys have since become international heroes and recently visited Downing Street for a reception with Prime Minister Theresa May.
