European soccer icon Zlatan Ibrahimovic went from hero to villain in a hurry during his MLS initiation.

Ibrahimovic, in just his eighth game with the Los Angeles Galaxy since signing with the club in March, received a red card in the first half of the Galaxy’s 1-0 win over the Montreal Impact on Monday after he slapped Impact defender Michael Petrasso in the back of the head during a break in the action. The right-handed hit to Petrasso’s right ear was in retaliation for Petrasso appearing to step on Ibrahimovic’s foot while backing up into him.

The players went to the ground holding their heads in unison, while the referee used video replay to determine the punishments. Petrasso was given a yellow card, and Ibrahimovic walked gingerly off the field with the help of a Galaxy trainer after being shown his red.

Los Angeles overcame the man-down situation in the second half, when Ola Kamara scored on a low strike inside the right post in the 74th minute.

Ibrahimovic, who’s starred most notably with Paris Saint-Germain (2012-16) and Manchester United (2016-18) during his nearly 20-year professional career, emerged on the MLS scene with a bang when he scored two late goals in his debut, a 4-3 comeback win over Los Angeles FC on March 31. Since then, the Galaxy have lost five of their last seven games, with Ibrahamovic notching just one goal and three assists in that span.

Despite a stellar statistical résumé with the Swedish national team and his various club teams, the 36-year-old striker has a history of violent behavior against both teammates and opponents. Ibrahimovic has received a handful of multiple-game bans for being caught punching, slapping, kicking and stomping on players. He also has been known to clash with team coaches and management.