Srinagar: At the age of 41, after been active on the field for more than 24 years , Swedish football legend, Zlatan Ibrahimovic bid teary eyed goodbye to football as AC Milan team and fans give him emotional farewell.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic officially retired from football on Sunday. His contract with AC Milan expires at the end of June. He returned to Milan for his second spell with the club in early 2020. He won the Scudetto with them in 2011 and again helped them win the title last season.
After their final Serie A match of the season against Hellas Verona, Milan held a special farewell ceremony for Zlatan at the San Siro. The match saw Milan end the season on a positive note with a 3-1 win, courtesy of goals from Oliver Giroud (45+2′), Rafael Leao (85′, 90+2′). Meanwhile, Davide Faraoni (72′) scored the solitary goal for Verona.
During the ceremony, Zlatan was welcomed by constant cheering as many fans were left in tears. Even Milan midfielder Sandro Tonali had a similar reaction and even Zlatan couldn’t control emotions.
During the ceremony, Zlatan said, “I say goodbye to football but not to you.”
“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”, he further added.
The striker began his career at Malmo FF in 1999 and then joined Ajax in 2001, before having spells at Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, Paris St Germain, Manchester United and AC Milan. He is also Sweden’s all-time top-scorer with 62 goals in 121 matches. He quit the national team after Euro 2016 and then made a comeback in 2021 during their unsuccessful 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign.
Watch Zlatan’s emotional farewell Video.
