Paris, March 28 (IANS): Retired French football star Thierry Henry told his compatriots to lay off Zlatan Ibrahimovic and enjoy the time he's staying in Ligue 1.

"Zlatan is an extraordinary guy. He is incredibly kind and we laughed a lot together," Henry, a teammate with Ibrahimovic at Barcelona in 2009 and 2010, said, reports Xinhua.

Paris Saint-Germain and Sweden forward Ibrahimovic was caught on camera after PSG's 2-3 loss to Bordeaux on March 15, calling France "a shit country" while complaining on a referee's performance.

"The country does not deserve PSG. We are too good for them," the 33-year-old had said, apologising on the very night through the Ligue 1 champions' website.

Ibrahimovic, who said ahead of the Moldova-Sweden match on Thursday that he's happy with his stay in France, will face a French football league (LFP) disciplinary commission hearing on April 9 over his foul-mouthed rant.

Henry, however, felt the Swede should be given more respect.

"The people in France should make up their mind about what they really want. First they were complaining about the lack of big stars in Ligue 1 and now they have a player of Ibrahimovic's stature, they are complaining about him again.He is an amazing player, someone really special who has marked an era. He has won league titles wherever he went," he said.

"He can be quite temperamental. He says what he thinks but that has never bothered me. There are not a lot of players with his character. If they punish him for his comments after PSG's loss vs Bordeaux, so be it, that's life. But the people in France should enjoy Ibrahimovic while it lasts."