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AC Milan forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic was in tears as he said goodbye to football, announcing his retirement after 24 years at the top
Former AC Milan, Barcelona, Manchester United, Inter, Juventus, and Ajax forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic was left in tears after announcing his retirement from football in the final game of the Serie A season.
Ibrahimovic in tears at retirement announcement
Ibrahimovic called time on a career that started in the 20th century as the Swede said goodbye to the sport after making his professional debut for Malmo in 1999, some 24 years ago.
There was hardly a dry eye in Milan’s San Siro stadium as Ibrahimovic made the shocking announcement that he would be leaving football.
Players, fans, club officials, and Ibrahimovic himself were overcome by the emotions of the event, and the forward said his goodbyes to football and AC Milan in tears at the age of 42.
Speaking at the announcement, Ibrahimovic said, “People think Ibra is Superman. Well, I am Superman, but I also have a big heart.
“I was looking around, trying to find a face that would give me strength, but everyone was crying! I looked at the players, they were crying.
“The fans were crying. I looked to my wife, I thought she’ll give me the strength to keep it together, but then she was crying more than anyone.”
Ibrahimovic reflects on ‘special’ day
Ibrahimovic acknowledged AC Milan in his closing remarks in football, stating that he tried to hide the decision to retire from everyone so that he could make the announcement in his own time to the club’s faithful.
“This was a very special day for me, Ibrahimovic said, continuing, “I did not tell anyone I was leaving football. I just told the club we had to do something for the last game, but they didn’t know it was retirement.
“When I woke up this morning, it was raining. I said to myself: Even God is sad today. Even my family didn’t know what was happening today, I felt like a zombie.
“I wasn’t joking, I wasn’t talking. Just three months ago, I felt panic at the idea of retirement, but today I accept it and I feel ready. A little sad, obviously.”
Ibrahimovic struggled for game time in the 2022/23 season after recovering from an ACL tear in March, only to suffer a further injury setback.
The Sewde decided to call time on his career as he realised that his body could no longer cope with the rigours of professional football.
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