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Veteran Swedish soccer star Zlatan Ibrahimovic announced his retirement to AC Milan fans on Sunday.
CNN
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Swedish legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic has announced his retirement from a glittering football career at the age of 41, becoming the oldest goalscorer in Italy’s Serie A league.
The star striker made the announcement following his side’s 3-1 win over Hellas Verona in AC Milan’s season finale on Sunday.
“It’s time to say goodbye to football, but not to you,” an emotional Ibrahimovic told Rossoneri fans at the San Siro.
The club previously announced they would hold a brief ceremony to bid farewell to the enigmatic star as his contract will not be renewed at the end of this month.
“The first time I came you gave me happiness, the second time, you gave me love,” Ibrahimovic said. “You welcomed me with open arms, you made me feel at home, and I will be a Milanista for the rest of my life.”
Ibrahimovic played for nine clubs during his 24-year career, scoring 561 goals for club and country, according to the International Federation of Football History and Statistics.
He retired as Sweden’s all-time leading goalscorer with 62 goals in 121 international matches. He retired from international football after Euro 2016 He returned for Sweden’s unsuccessful World Cup qualification campaign in 2021.
Ibrahimovic told a press conference on Sunday that he would rest for a while before deciding what to do next.
“For now, I just want to take some time off and enjoy what I’ve done,” he said. “It is not right to take a hasty decision as emotions are running high now. I’d like to take the summer off, think about it, and then we’ll see.
The Swede made his professional debut in his home country with Malmö FF in 1999 before moving to the Netherlands for Ajax two years later. Ibrahimovic won the Eredivisie twice and the KNVB Cup in 2002.
Following his spell at the Dutch club, Ibrahimovic played for some of Europe’s biggest clubs including Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United.
In his first spell in Italy, the Swede won two Serie A titles with Juventus, which was later vacated by the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal. Ibrahimovic won three league titles with his move to Inter Milan in 2016.
Ibrahimovic left Italy to join Spanish giants Barcelona in 2009, where he won the La Liga title in his only season with the Catalan club. His stint in Spain was short-lived as he was loaned out to AC Milan in 2010 and made permanent in 2011.
In 2012, Ibrahimovic joined Paris Saint-Germain, where he scored 113 goals while winning 12 trophies – including the domestic quadruple twice. Despite never winning the elusive Champions League title, the striker helped English Premier League side Manchester United to Europa League glory in 2017.
After joining MLS side LA Galaxy in 2018, where He scored two stunning goals on his debutAttractive striker He returned for a second spell with AC Milan in early 2020Helped the Italian team win the Scudetto last season.
Despite playing just four matches last season due to injury, Ibrahimovic He became the oldest goalscorer in Serie A history AC Milan lost 3-1 against Udinese at 41 years and 166 days.
