Newly retired footballer, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has declared that there will be no other kind of player with his ego.
The all-time highest goalscorer for Sweden during a press conference to herald the end of his illustrious career said God was sad following his retirement which his club, AC Milan was not aware of.
“It was a very special day for me. I didn’t tell anyone, that I was going to retire. I just told the club, that we have to do something before the last game. Even they didn’t know about my decision. Thank you journalists for your patience. Now, you will have less work.
“From tomorrow, I am a man free from this world. It’s been a really long career. I am proud and happy. Thank you to those, who gave me strength, adrenaline, and emotions. Today is the last day of my professional career. Thank you to Milan for everything they have done and everyone I have played with, both at clubs and for the national team.
My day? When I woke up it was raining. I said to myself then, even God is sad,” the former Barcelona player said.
Speaking further, Ibrahimovic said his family didn’t know about his planned retirement as he was anxious as the day drew closer.
“Not even my family knew about my decision. These emotions are too strong. I looked like a zombie today. Until 3 months ago, I was panicking at the thought of retiring. Now, I accept it and I’m ready. I can’t deny, that I’m sad. I’ve been playing football all my life. Football made me a man. Through football, I have met many people and travelled all over the world.
“I feel strong emotions about this club. Milan gave me many reasons to be happy and second love. From the first day, I felt at home here.
“Even after my return, I haven’t lost my passion and mentality. Milan is my second family. In addition to my 2 children, I have 25 red and black children.
“The coach put a great responsibility on my shoulders and I did my job. There is still much room for improvement at the club and even greater success.
“I made a decision in the last 10 days. I accepted this decision, even if I was unable to end my career on the pitch. What I went through today was too beautiful. This memory will stay with me for the rest of my life.
New Zlatan? It is impossible. There is only one Zlatan. It’s not because of my ego, but because we’re all different. When I was a kid, I was compared to Van Basten, but there is no other like Van Basten.
However, he revealed opportunities for him to continue playing, but he turned them down while indicating he could return to football either as a coach or a director.
“Right now, I want to have some time to myself and enjoy, what I’ve done. I don’t think, that it makes sense to make decisions in a hurry. I want to rethink my situation over the summer. Being a coach or director is a big responsibility.
“When you’re a footballer, you have a better chance of being yourself. When you’re a coach, you have more limitations. I don’t feel like, I’m giving up football completely. If I decide to come back, I will have to start over and go up the ladder step by step,” he said.
The 41-year-old played for nine clubs from 1999 to 2023 for his professional career. His career started from Malmo FF to AC Milan scoring 405 goals in 637 appearances.
He played four times for Sweden U18, and seven times for the country’s U21 side before playing 122 times for the senior team scoring 62 goals.
