Football superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic bids farewell to football
Zlatan announced his retirement at 41 in an emotional speech after AC Milan’s last game of the season last night
Zlatan Ibrahimovic announced his retirement from professional football last night at the age of 41 in a very emotional speech after AC Milan’s last game of the 2022/23 season.
“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. I want to thank my second family. The players, the coach and his staff for the responsibility they gave me. I want to thank the directors for the opportunity they gave me. Last but not least, from my heart, I want to thank you, fans. You welcomed me with open arms and I will be a Milanista my entire life. It’s time to say goodbye to football, but not to you. It’s too difficult, there are too many emotions. I’ll see you around if you are lucky. Forza Milan and goodbye,” said Zlatan in his announcement to the fans in the San Siro stadium as he held back his tears
His contract expires at the end of June and he will not be renewing his contract following a season which was full of injuries which has prompted him to announce his retirement.
Zlatan made a return to AC Milan on 27th December 2019 after leaving LA Galaxy. Notably, he was previously a part of AC Milan’s squad in the 2010/11 and 2011/12 seasons.
The Swede footballing superstar initially made his club debut with Malmö FF in 1999 and his international debut for Sweden on 31st January 2001. He then went on to play in clubs such as Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, AC Milan, FC Barcelona, Manchester United, Paris Saint Germain and LA Galaxy.
Throughout his career, he has scored 496 goals in his 827 club appearances and 62 goals in his 122 international appearances for Sweden.
