Zlatan Ibrahimovic retires from football at age of 41

June 6, 2023 | 17:17:00

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AC Milan forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic has announced his retirement from football. The 41-year-old Swedish Ibrahimovic announced his retirement after the last match of Serie A. He has already announced that he will leave AC Milan.

“I said goodbye to football, not to you,” Ibrahimovic said after the last game.

He played for Paris St. Germain, Manchester United and both Milan clubs and scored 511 goals in club football. He won league titles in four countries namely Netherlands, Italy, Spain and France.

Ibrahimovic, who won the Serie A title from AC Milan in 2011, returned to Milan in 2020. Where he helped Milan win the league in 2021. But this season, he struggled with injuries and played only four games. He started as first choice in one game.

He expressed his gratitude saying that he received a lot of love from Milan. There are many emotions for me now. Forza Milan and goodbye,” Ibrahimovic said emotionally, “The first time I came here, you gave me happiness, the second time, love. You welcomed me with open arms. You made me feel at home. I will be a Milanista for the rest of my life.

Ibrahimovic has won a total of 34 trophies in his career, including 14 league titles. He was nominated for the Ballon d’Or 11 times. The main trophy he did not win in club football was the Champions League. In 2017, he won the Europa League title from Manchester United.

Ibrahimovic played 122 games for Sweden and scored 62 goals. He retired from the national team after Euro 2016 and returned to the national team in 2021, but failed to qualify for the World Cup. “When journalists asked about my future, I used to get scared. But now I can accept it now. I am ready,” he said after announcing his retirement.