On Sunday, in his final match with AC Milan against Hellas Verona, the striker emotionally declared his retirement to the San Siro crowd, tearfully bidding farewell to the club and drawing the curtain on his impressive career.
He quoted, “the first time we arrived at Milan you gave me happiness, the second time you gave me love. From my heart I want to thank you fans,” he said. “You welcomed me with open arms, you made me feel at home.
“I will be a Milan fan for the whole It’s time to say goodbye to football, not you.”
After 24 years of professional football, during which he represented Malmo, Ajax, Juventus, Inter, Barcelona, PSG, United and the LA Galaxy, the mysterious Swede has decided to bring his illustrious career to an end. He was triumphant in numerous league titles in the Netherlands, Spain, France and Italy.
He scored 511 goals for clubs including Paris St-Germain, Manchester United and both AC and Inter Milan, winning league titles in four countries.
Ibrahimovic won 34 trophies – including 14 league titles – in a career that began in the last century, and was nominated for the Ballon d’Or 11 times.
The striker also retires as Sweden’s all-time top scorer with 62 international goals in 122 matches.
The future of the iconic striker remains uncertain, but it’s safe to assume that he won’t be occupying a managerial role anytime soon. In 2021, Ibrahimovic was once asked about a possible coaching career: “Impossible. During the match I’d have to slap at least two players and after the match, eight!”
Facebook Comments