AC Milan’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic has retired from soccer on the age of 41, bringing to an finish one of many fashionable period’s most glittering careers.
“I say goodbye to soccer however to not you,” the Swede advised the San Siro crowd after Sunday’s final sport of the season.
Ibrahimovic had already introduced he would go away the Italian membership.
He scored 511 objectives for golf equipment together with Paris St-Germain, Manchester United and each AC and Inter Milan, profitable league titles in 4 international locations.
Ibrahimovic started his second spell with AC Milan in early 2020, having received the Scudetto with them in 2011, and helped them win the title once more final season.
However he performed solely 4 occasions and began one match for the Serie A aspect this time period – and scored one objective – following a sequence of accidents, and his contract was set to run out this month.
“There are too many feelings for me proper now. Forza Milan and goodbye,” an emotional Ibrahimovic mentioned, holding again tears.
“The primary time I got here right here you gave me happiness, the second time you gave me love.
“You welcomed me with open arms, you made me really feel at house, I will likely be a Milanista for the remainder of my life.”
Ibrahimovic received 34 trophies – together with 14 league titles – in a profession that started within the final century, and was nominated for the Ballon d’Or 11 occasions.
The one main membership trophy that eluded him was the Champions League, along with his solely European title coming with Manchester United within the form of the 2017 Europa League.
The striker additionally retires as Sweden’s all-time high scorer with 62 worldwide objectives in 122 matches.
He give up the nationwide aspect after Euro 2016 however returned in 2021 for his or her unsuccessful World Cup qualifying marketing campaign.
“I was scared when journalists requested by about my future, however now I can settle for it, I am prepared,” he advised reporters after his announcement.
“I have been doing this all my life. Soccer made me a person. It allowed me to know folks I in any other case would by no means have recognized. I’ve travelled the world due to soccer. It is all due to soccer.”
A profession laced with gold
Ibrahimovic began his skilled profession with hometown aspect Malmo FF in 1999 earlier than transferring to Ajax in 2001 for a three-year spell wherein he received three league titles.
A transfer to Italy adopted in 2004 with Juventus, the place he received two league titles, each of which have been later stripped from the membership because of the Calciopoli scandal.
Nonetheless, the Swede received three extra Serie A titles along with his subsequent membership, Inter Milan, earlier than a transfer to Barcelona in 2009.
Ibrahimovic spent just one season on the Catalan membership, profitable a La Liga title earlier than being loaned to AC Milan, a transfer which was made everlasting in 2011.
A yr later, nonetheless, and Ibrahimovic was on the transfer once more, signing for Paris St-Germain, the place he scored 113 objectives in 122 league appearances and received 4 Ligue 1 trophies.
In July 2016, he signed for Manchester United for a two-year spell with the Premier League membership that noticed him win the League Cup and the Europa League.
Ibrahimovic signed for MLS aspect LA Galaxy in 2018, spending two seasons in California earlier than making his return to AC Milan.
