Zlatan Ibrahimovic is leaving AC Milan.
Fabrizio Romano, a journalist who works for the British newspaper The Guardian and is known as an expert on the European transfer market, wrote on his personal social media account on Thursday (4 April), “Zlatan is leaving AC Milan. His contract with the club is set to expire and he is planning to say goodbye at the San Siro on Sunday after deciding not to extend it.”
Zlatan is an AC Milan legend. In 2011, the striker led the club to the Serie A and Coppa Italia titles during their golden years. After leaving the club, Zlatan returned to AC Milan in 2020 to play out his golden years.
The title-winning striker brought a lot to the club, both on and off the pitch. With 15 goals and two assists in 19 league games in 2020-21, a performance that belied his age, Zlatan established himself as the team’s moral compass.
In 2021-22, Zlatan was a silent champion as AC Milan won the Scudetto. With eight goals and three assists in 22 league appearances, Zlatan led the team as a leader, even as his attacking points dropped. His locker room speech and performance after AC Milan clinched the Italian Serie A title was the talk of the town.
“Now do me a favour,” Zlatan said in the AC Milan locker room. Enjoy it like a champion. AC Milan does not belong to Milan. Italy belongs to AC Milan,” and ended his speech by slamming his desk on the ground. After Zlatan’s inspirational speech, the AC Milan players broke into a festive celebration in the locker room, singing the championship song.
But Ibrahimovic’s knee surgery at the end of last season kept him out until the beginning of this year, and even after his return, he continued to suffer injuries, showing the ravages of age. But he also showed his class in March when he became Serie A’s oldest goalscorer (41 years and 166 days) against Udinese.
Zlatan’s goal against Udinese was his last of the 2022-23 season. Zlatan continued to suffer injuries and was sidelined until the end of the season. Zlatan could not defy time. With Zlatan no longer playing a role, AC Milan found it difficult to hold on to the player, and the two sides decided to part ways at the end of the season 먹튀검증.
Speaking about Zlatan’s future, Romano said, “Zlatan turns 42 in October. He will make a decision about his future in the following days.” In fact, Zlatan is at an age where it would not be unusual for him to call it quits, but Zlatan wants to play for Sweden at Euro 2024. Zlatan is at a crossroads, whether to continue playing until then or to call it quits because his body is no longer up to the task.