Chronicle of Zlatan Ibrahimovic's achievements as he retires from football

Posted : 06 June 2023

An enigma, the lion, a conqueror, a gladiator, a hero, a villain, a genius, an emperor. All have been used at different times to qualify none other than legendary Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Ibrahimovic has just announced that he will be retiring from professional football altogether at the age of 41. One could be forgiven for thinking that the enigmatic Swede would never retire and continue to graze the game, but nature takes its course.

During his time on the pitch, Ibrahimovic has done things that can be described as otherworldly and may not be replicated anytime soon.

Throughout the course of Zlatan Ibrahimovic's career, which spanned twenty-four years, the Swede was able to bag 827 club appearances, scoring 496 goals and laying on a further 204 assists. Incredible numbers for someone not named Pele, Lionel Messi, or Cristiano Ronaldo.

On a national level, the incredible Zlatan Ibrahimovic was able to rack up 122 appearances, scoring 62 goals and providing a further 25 assists.

In this article, Africa Sports Network reminisce over the achievements of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, looking at some of his iconic moments and brief history.

Brief History of Zlatan Ibrahimovic

On October 3rd, 1981, Zlatan Ibrahimovic was born in the city of Malmo, Sweden. During his early teenage years, Ibrahimovic was a regular representative on the pitch for his hometown team, Malmo FF.

When Zlatan was fifteen years old, he almost quit the footballing world due to hardship and thought about working in the docks at Malmo. However, his manager managed to convince him to believe in himself and continue playing.

The enigmatic Swede marksman would then start his professional career at his hometown club, Malmo FF, in 1999. Two years later, he signed for Ajax and quickly established himself as one of Europe's most promising young attackers.

Ibrahimovic's football journey achievements

Zlatan won so many trophies and accolades in his glittering career.

At Ajax, Ibrahimovic won the Eredivisie trophy in 2001–02 and 2003–04. He won the KNVB Cup once in 2001–02. Furthermore, the legendary Swedish striker won the Johan Cruyff Shield in 2002.

In the Serie A with Juventus, Zlatan won the Scudetto in 2004–05 and 2005–06. However, both trophies were revoked due to the Calciopoli scandal.

With the Nerazzuri, Ibrahimovic was able to lift the Scudetto three times in 2006–07, 2007–08, and 2008–09. He also won the Supercoppa Italiana in 2006 and 2008.

His time with the Blaugrana wasn't very pleasant. While playing for Barcelona, Ibrahimovic and Spanish tactician Pep Guardiola clashed. This resulted in an alleged dressing room incident in which Ibrahimovic hurled a training-kit box and yelled abuses at Guardiola.

Ibrahimovic was able to lay his hands on some trophies while at the Camp Nou. He won the FIFA Club World Cup in 2009, the UEFA Super Cup in 2009, the La Liga in 2009–10, and the Supercopa de España in 2009 and 2010.

While turning out for the Rossoneri, Zlatan Ibrahimovic won the Serie A twice in 2010–11 and 2021–22. He also lifted the Supercoppa Italiana in 2011 in the famous red and black colours.

His time in Ligue 1 bore great fruits. Ibrahimovic was able to scoop the Ligue 1 title four times in 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, and 2015–16. He won the Coupe de France in 2014–15 and 2015–16 and crowned it with the Coupe de la Ligue, which he won thrice in 2013–14, 2014–15, and 2015–16. Additionally, Zlatan also won the Trophée des Champions in 2013, 2014, and 2015.

After a high-profile move to the Premier League with Manchester United, Zlatan Ibrahimovic left the club having won the UEFA Europa League in 2016–17, the EFL Cup in 2016–17, and the FA Community Shield in 2016.

From an Individual perspective, Zlatan Ibrahimovic had Ballon d'Or Nominations in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016, clinching only 4th place in 2013. He won the FIFA Puskás Award in 2013 and Eurosport Goal of the Year in 2004, among many others.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the only player in UEFA Champions League history to score for six different teams. He achieved this feat while playing for Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, Milan, and PSG.

He is the only player to score on his English Premier League, Italian Serie A, Spanish La Liga, French Ligue 1, and the prestigious UEFA Champions League debut. Ibrahimovic also holds the accolade of being the only player to score 50 Serie A goals for both Inter Milan and Milan.

Some controversies surrounding Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Ibrahimovic is not always an easy player to get on with. During the course of his career, the Swedish legend has been involved in several controversial incidents with his teammates. Below are just a few of them;

During a training session at Malmo FF youth squad, Ibrahimovic headbutted a player who had attempted to tackle and dispossess him of the ball. The father of the assaulted player was a police officer, and he tried to get the rest of the team to sign a petition to kick Ibrahimovic off the team.

Club teammate to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Rafael van der Vaart, publicly accused him of intentionally injuring him after a 2004 international friendly against the Netherlands. In response, the Swede threatened to break both of van der Vaart's legs.

In 2021, during a Coppa Italia fixture against Inter Milan, Ibrahimovic was suspended for one game after an altercation with former teammate Romelu Lukaku. Microphones caught Ibrahimovic telling Lukaku multiple times to "Go do your voodoo shit."

Ibrahimovic was a fiery footballing genius who wowed football lovers with his skills and goalscoring prowess.
As the Swede draws the curtain on his glittering career, he will be remembered down the line as one of football's greats.

Chronicle of Zlatan Ibrahimovic's achievements as he retires from football

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