Zlatan announces retirement from football

The Swedish superstar may have come to Manchester United late in his career but he made a tremendous impact at the club.

Signing on a free transfer after leaving Paris Saint-Germain in 2016, the centre-forward wasted no time making his mark, scoring the winner in the Community Shield against Leicester City.

In that first season, he also scored twice to help the Reds win the League Cup, beating Southampton in the final, and was cruelly denied a reunion with former club Ajax in Stockholm in the Europa League final due to a knee injury sustained in the quarter-final against Anderlecht.

San Siro's final tribute to 𝙕𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙖𝙣 𝙄𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙝𝙞𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙘́ 🌟#SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/9XTYZ0QtNt

— AC Milan (@acmilan) June 5, 2023

Nonetheless, he top scored with 28 goals under Jose Mourinho that season, and he managed to regain fitness in order to sign another short-term deal at Old Trafford, reappearing in a win over Newcastle United in November 2017.

Although he was only able to make seven appearances in this second stint, he did bag one final strike, a free-kick in the League Cup against Bristol City.

A move to LA Galaxy followed but he returned to Europe to have a second spell with AC Milan, showing remarkable endurance and longevity.

In total, Ibrahimovic won 34 trophies, including 14 league titles and was nominated for the Ballon d'Or 11 times.

He said his farewells on the pitch after Milan's final match of the Serie A campaign, against Hellas Verona, with the Rossoneri supporters showering him with affection.

"I have so many memories and lived so many emotions here," he said. "The first time I arrived here, you gave me happiness. The second time, love.

"I will be a Milan fan for life. The time has come to say goodbye to football, but not to you."

There was an outpouring of respect and support for Ibrahimovic on social media, as he was clearly one of the best forwards of his generation.

We hope to see you soon, Zlatan!