Zlatan Ibrahimovic announced his retirement from football on Sunday, June 4, following AC Milan’s final Serie A game of the season which was against Verona.
Ahead of the game, AC Milan had announced that the contract of Ibrahimovic who returned to AC Milan for the second time in his football career on January 2, 2020, won’t be renewed.
Hence, it was clear that from June 30, 2023, the 41-year-old legendary Swedish footballer will be without a club.
During the sent-forth ceremony after AC Milan’s 3-1 win over Verona at San Siro on Sunday night, Zlatan Ibrahimovic decided not to say goodbye to just Milan fans but to the entire football community as a player.
“It’s the moment to say goodbye to football, not just to you,” Ibrahimovic said as he announced his retirement from football.
The Football Journey Of Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Zlatan Ibrahimovic during his send-off ceremony at the San Siro on Sunday, June 4, 2023.
Ibrahimovic is renowned for his lightning-fast runs and volleys, powerful long shoots, excellent technique, and ball control. He is one of the most decorated active football players in the world and is regarded as one of the all-time great strikers, with a total of 34 medals.
He has over 570 career goals, including more than 500 club goals, and has scored in each of the last four decades.
Ibrahimovic made his professional debut with Malmö FF, where he quickly earned a reputation as one of the continent’s most talented forwards. He transferred to Ajax two years later. He joined Inter Milan in 2006 and won three straight Serie A titles there before departing for Juventus two years later.
He made one of the most expensive moves ever when he went to Barcelona in the summer of 2009 for a then-record transfer fee worth €69.50 million. He moved to Inter’s rival AC Milan on loan after just one season at Barca in 2010, he made the move permanent in the following season. Ibrahimovic won the Serie A title during his first year with them.
The retired Sweden international joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2012, where he rapidly cemented his position as the unquestioned dominant force in French football and helped the team win its first Ligue 1 championship in 19 years.
While playing at PSG, Ibrahimovic became the league’s top scorer in three successive seasons and also won four straight French Ligue 1 titles. He also advanced to become the club’s all-time leading scorer.
Afterward, the football legend made a free transfer to Manchester United in 2016, and in his first season, he won his first and only European championship (Europa League).
From the Premier League, Ibrahimovic secured a contract with the LA Galaxy in 2018 and came back to AC Milan in 2020 where he won his fifth Serie A title in 2022, and retired from football on June 4, 2023.
