Zlatan Ibrahimovic broke down in tears at a press conference to mark his return to international duty with Sweden last week.
Normally it would mark a retirement, or maybe a public apology, but this is the former Manchester United striker’s comeback and one fans are eagerly anticipating.
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The tears fell across his cheeks when asked what his children, Maximilian, 14, and Vincent, 12, thought of his decision to return to the fold at 39.
“Vincent cried when I left him,” Ibrahimovic said while dabbing his eyes.
The Swede has been retired from international duty since June 2016 and he even resisted the temptation to return in 2018 when his nation qualified for the World Cup in Russia.
Now, though, he couldn’t resist the overtures and the challenge that lies ahead, which could include a battle with Robert Lewandowski and possibly even England in the summer.
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“To play in the national team is the biggest thing you can do as a football player, and as I was following [Sweden], inside me I was feeling I think I can help them, I think I can do something,” Ibrahimovic added.
“Obviously it’s not up to me, what a player wants and what a coach wants, it has to go together.
“I’ve got the opportunity now to play for my country and I do it with honour, but it’s not only about that – it sounds like I’m only happy to be here, but I’m here to get results, to bring results for the coach and my team-mates and the whole country.
“As much as I talk here, if I don’t bring results, here it means nothing.”
And he certainly made his return in style by creating Viktor Claesson’s goal in the 1-0 win against Georgia.
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His mind was already set on retirement in 2016 but the way he bowed out is perhaps another reason behind his return.
Ibrahimovic may have been the second best goalscorer in qualifying for the European Championship with 11 – only behind Lewandowski – but in France he drew a blank. No goals and only one shot on target in their three games against Belgium, Republic of Ireland, and Italy.
It was his international career in a nutshell – moments of dazzling brilliance, followed by drought and dark days.
He is Sweden’s record goalscorer with 62 strikes, not bad considering his competition.
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Henrik Larsson only managed 37, while legends Sven Rydell (49) and Gunnar Nordahl (43) have also been beaten by Ibrahimovic, who knows where he stands in Sweden’s pantheon.
And now he wants one last shot at improving on how he will be remembered – and why not?
He’s back in form with Milan showing he’s still on of the best in the business and able to compete with young strikers like Romelu Lukaku, and modern greats like Cristiano Ronaldo.
All the way back in January 2001, 20 years ago, it began with Sweden, against Faroe Islands, right before his first big move to Ajax later in the year.
The goals came quick, Ibrahimovic netted a goal in a vital World Cup qualifier with Azerbaijan later in the year and the next summer he was on his way to South Korea and Japan.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic's goal record
- Malmo (1999-2001) – 18 goals in 47 matches
- Ajax (2001-2004) – 48 goals in 110 matches
- Juventus (2004-2006) – 26 goals in 92 matches
- Inter Milan (2006-2009) – 66 goals in 117 matches
- Barcelona (2009-2010) – 22 goals in 46 matches
- AC Milan (2010-2012) – 56 goals in 85 matches
- Paris Saint-Germain (2012-2016) – 156 goals in 180 matches
- Manchester United (2016-2018) – 29 goals in 53 matches
- LA Galaxy (2018-2019) – 53 goals in 58 matches
- AC Milan (2019-present) – 28 goals in 43 matches
- Sweden (2001-present – 62 goals in 116 matches
He had a lot less hair then and wouldn’t play until their third and fourth games of the tournament – as a substitute in a 1-1 draw with Argentina and a 2-1 defeat in the Round of 16 to Senegal.
It was Euro 2004 where he made his mark at a major tournament though, with a goal and an assist against Bulgaria.
His moment of glory came in a 1-1 draw with Italy though, scoring a trademark acrobatic strike, beating Gianluigi Buffon with a backheel which was later named goal of the tournament.
A missed penalty in a Round of 16 shootout with the Dutch would result in elimination from the tournament though, but his star was rising.
As it would for most of his career, though, the World Cup two years later only resulted in disappointment with no goals in Germany before the hosts knocked them out in the dreaded Round of 16.
Harder times were on the way too for Ibrahimovic as he, along with Christian Wilhelmsson and Olof Mellberg were sent home from a European Championship qualifier in September 2006 for attending a nightclub just two days before playing Liechenstein.
None of the players consumed alcohol but the senior players’ breach of the team’s 11pm curfew saw manager Lars Lagerback execute the punishment.
Ibrahimovic, though, feeling it was unjust, then boycotted qualifiers with Iceland and Spain, and missed a friendly with Egypt before finally returning in March 2007.
He would not score once in qualifying for Euro 2008 but he stepped up at the tournament, netting against Greece and then in a loss to eventual champions Spain.
Sweden would, though, exit at the end of the group stage, beaten by Russia.
This heartbreak was followed by another failure to qualify for a World Cup, the tournament in South Africa in 2010 was missed this time.
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Ibrahimovic was entering his peak and it began to show with his nation.
Now captain, the goals began to flow and in 2012, he would score 11 goals in 11 games, including a hat-tick against Finland and a stunning volley in a win over France at Euro 2012.
He put in three fine performances at the competition, earning himself a place in the Team of the Tournament, despite being eliminated in the group stage.
What happened next stunned the football world.
AFP
English football had never truly bought into the Ibrahimovic hype, it was felt he’d never proved his skills against our top sides.
Ibrahimovic did only what he knew best. In a friendly to mark the opening of Sweden’s Friends Arena, he wreaked havoc on his old enemy,
He netted all four goals in a 4-2 win over the Three Lions and his fourth was the best of the lot – an trophy-winning strike, getting him the Puskas Award for 2013.
His third was going to take something to beat – a 30-yard free-kick – and he did so in style with an outrageous long range overhead kick, once again displaying his incredible agility.
Even though Ibrahimovic’s form was imperious, qualifying for the 2014 World Cup was again a step too far.
Sweden faced Portugal in a play-off match to reach the tournament and while the then-Paris Saint-German ace netted a brace over two legs, Cristiano Ronaldo would net four, including a hat-trick in the second of the matches to seal a 4-2 aggregate win.
“It was probably [my] last attempt to reach the World Cup with the national team for me,” said Ibrahimovic in his own inimitable style. “One thing is for sure, a World Cup without me is nothing to watch. Congratulations to Portugal, but both teams deserved to get to the World Cup.”
He would not return in 2018 after confirming his retirement in 2016, although there were calls for him to go to the World Cup where his nation would lose in the quarter-finals to England.
AFP
Now Euro 2020 is on the cards for Ibrahimovic and he’ll face Spain, Slovakia, and Poland, allowing him to go toe-to-toe with scorer supreme Lewandowski while, in the Round of 16, we could see him face England again if both nations finish as runners-up in their respective groups.
Will we see the Ibrahimovic we know and love, or will it be another tournament where he flatters to deceive?
Whatever the answer, it will be a fascinating watch.
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