Zlatan Ibrahimovic, one of the best strikers of his generation, has decided to retire from professional soccer. The 41-year-old Ibrahimovic made the announcement following AC Milan’s 3-1 win over Hellas Verona in the final match of Seria A’s 2022-23 season.
Speaking with reporters, Ibrahimovic revealed that he didn’t share his decision with anyone prior to making it official.
“Even my family didn’t know because I wanted that when I announced it, everyone heard it at the same time,” Ibrahimovic said.
Ibrahimovic only played four matches this season, recovering from knee surgery and then dealing with hamstring and calf issues. His contract with Milan is set to expire at the end of June, and the club previously made a decision not to renew it. This is what prompted the Swedish star striker to call it quits.
“I want to thank my family. I want to thank my second family: the players, “Ibrahimovic added. “I want to thank the coach and his staff for the responsibility; I want to thank the directors for the opportunity. Last but not least, from my heart, I want to thank you, fans.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic played for nine different clubs throughout his career, including Ajax, Inter, Barcelona, Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, and Los Angeles Galaxy. He scored a total of 496 goals in his career and won multiple trophies at almost every club he played for. He has five Seria A titles with Inter and Milan combined and four Ligue 1 titles with PSG.
Ibrahimovic also played 122 international games with Sweden and has scored 62 goals. He is the Swedish national team’s all-time leading goalscorer.
