Free man
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the Sweden striker for AC Milan, said on Sunday that he has decided to retire at the age of 41 following a trophy-laden career at some of Europe’s greatest teams.
The flamboyant Swede’s contract with Milan expires at the end of June and will not be extended following an injury-plagued season, causing him to call it quits on a magnificent career.
Ibrahimovic returned to Milan in early 2020 for his second stint, having won the Scudetto with them in 2011 and helping them win the title again previous season.
“I say goodbye to football but not to you,” he remarked after being feted by the San Siro fans following Milan’s 3-1 season-ending triumph against Hellas Verona.
“The first time I arrived, you gave me happiness; the second time, you gave me love. I want to thank my family and those close to me for their patience.”
The larger-than-life striker started his career at Malmo FF in 1999 and left for Ajax Amsterdam in 2001 before embarking on a journey that has included spells at Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, Paris St-Germain, Manchester United, and Milan.
Ibrahimovic has won countless domestic leagues and cups, plus a long list of individual honours, but he never got his hands on Europe’s elite club competition trophy, the Champions League.
Sweden’s all-time top scorer with 62 goals in 121 matches, he quit the national team after Euro 2016 but returned in 2021 for their unsuccessful World Cup qualifying campaign.
Free man
“I thank the journalists for your patience; now you’ll have less work to do without me… From tomorrow, I am a free man from this world of football,” Ibrahimovic told reporters in a press conference after the announcement he was retiring.
“It was a long career—really long. Thank you to everyone who gave me the strength, the adrenaline, and the emotion to continue.”
Ibrahimovic deflected questions regarding his plans for retirement, opting not to divulge any details.
“For the moment, I just want to take some time and enjoy what I’ve done. It’s not right to make decisions in a hurry; there’s too much emotion right now. I want to take the summer off, reflect, and then we’ll see.”
When asked about who could replace Ibrahimovic, his answer was clear.
“Impossible, there is only one Zlatan! As a child, they compared me to (former Netherlands striker) Marco van Basten, but he is who he is and I am who I am.
“There might be similarities, but I don’t think comparisons are right. I doubt we’d find another Zlatan with my ego.”
He concluded the press conference by admitting that the evening had been an emotional experience.
“I could not have dreamed of a night like this. From the first day, I felt at home with Milan, both the old and the new versions. When I leave here, I will miss it a great deal. Today, they dragged the real Ibrahimovic out.”
