Zlatan Ibrahimovic Says Goodbye To Football At 41

Afimag.com –

AC Milan’s Swedish striker, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, says he has decided to bid goodbye to football at the age of 41 after a trophy-laden career at some of Europe’s top clubs.

Ibrahimovic’s contract at Milan expires at the end of June and will not be revived the next a season due to injuries, making him to end his career.

The Swede arrived in Milan for a second spell in early 2020, after winning the Scudetto with them in 2011, and helped the club win the title again last season.

Ibrahimovic in his emotional retired speech said: “I say goodbye to football but not to you,” he said after being feted by the San Siro crowd after Milan’s 3-1 win over Hellas Verona in their season finale on Sunday.

“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 Swede has won countless domestic leagues and cups plus a long list of individual honours but never got his hands on Europe’s elite club competition trophy, the Champions League.

Ibrahimovic, who is Sweden’s all-time top scorer with 62 goals in 121 matches, quit the national team after Euro 2016 but returned in 2021 for their unsuccessful World Cup qualifying campaign.

“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.”