The Manchester City striker has scored 162 goals and provided 30 assists in 198 competitive matches since his move to England, numbers that have placed him among the most feared forwards anywhere in the world game.
A few days ago, Alexi Lalas suggested on Fox Sports that he would choose Haaland over Ibrahimovic if the Norwegian produces a strong World Cup.
Ibrahimovic was quick to respond, pushing back on the suggestion and setting out his own case.
"I'm not so sure about that, he needs to do a lot more to reach nature's freak."
Ibrahimovic went on to draw a distinction between his own game and that of the Norwegian.
"He scores goals, he's a killer in the box, but I saw myself as more of an all-rounder, I like playing with the ball."
The comments reflect a long-running theme in Ibrahimovic's own assessment of his career, with the Swede frequently emphasising the breadth of his game over a purely goalscoring legacy.
The debate has since drawn in two more figures from Swedish football, with both weighing in on opposite sides of the discussion.
Sweden football director Kim Kallstrom was unequivocal when asked for his view by Goteborgs-Posten.
"Zlatan. I don't even think that's a discussion."
Former Sweden international Olof Mellberg, by contrast, first sided with Haaland over his countryman when asked the same question.
Pressed further on his reasoning, Mellberg pointed to his own first-hand experience of playing alongside Ibrahimovic for the national team.
"It's Zlatan. For me always. We were so close during our time with the national team too. I had the privilege and the luxury of playing with him and seeing him up close. For me it's Zlatan."
The exchange highlights how Haaland's continued excellence at club level, paired with his performances for Norway at the World Cup, has reopened a debate that had long appeared settled in Ibrahimovic's favour among his compatriots.
Kallstrom's intervention in particular underlines how strongly Ibrahimovic's standing remains protected within Swedish football circles, even as Haaland continues to break goalscoring records across Europe.
With Haaland still playing at the tournament and adding to his already considerable goal tally for Norway, the question of where he ranks alongside Scandinavian football's most decorated forward looks set to continue running through the rest of the summer.