Zlatan Ibrahimovic has officially retired and Football Italia revisits his Serie A career with 12 iconic pictures.
The 41-year-old announced his retirement on Sunday night following Milan’s 3-1 win over Hellas Verona.
Ibra played for Juventus, Inter and Milan in Serie A, winning the Scudetto five times, plus two with Juventus, which were eventually revoked following the Calciopoli scandal.
He first moved to the Peninsula in the summer of 2004, joining Juventus on the deadline day from Ajax for €16m. He scored 26 goals in 92 appearances with the Bianconeri. He was still not a deadly finisher, as highlighted many times by his first coach in Italy, Fabio Capello.
“After a month at Juve, I noticed he was not kicking the ball very well and wasn’t good in the air. He is a very proud guy and worked every day to improve himself. He stayed behind after training sessions for extra target practice.
“At the time, the goal was not in his DNA, as he had more fun providing assists. He followed my advice to be more determined in front of goal and turned into a real hitman.”
However, his temper and charisma on and off the pitch were already evident. During his time at Juventus, he clashed with many of his opponents, including Milan’s Jaap Stam and Inter’s Sinisa Mihajlovic. One of his most notable fight in Italy’s top flight came in a home game against Messina when the Sicilians’ midfielder Carmine Coppola was brave enough to put his hand around Ibra’s neck.
The Swede received two red cards while in Turin and one against Bayern Munich in 2005 was the turning point of his Juventus career. It infuriated Luciano Moggi prompting the ex-Juventus director to withdraw a contract extension offer. Ibra pushed to leave and eventually joined the Old Lady’s harshest rivals Inter after the Calciopoli scandal. Juventus fans would never forgive him for his move to the Stadio Meazza.
Ibrahimovic’s relationship with Inter was love and hate. He scored 66 goals in 117 appearances and was decisive in the 2007-08 title race. The Nerazzurri secured a crucial 2-0 win at Parma in the final game of the season. Roberto Mancini was the coach and Ibra was not fully fit, so he started on the bench at the Stadio Tardini. He was introduced in the second half and scored a brace, gifting the second consecutive title on the pitch to the Benamata.
He remained for one more season under José Mourinho, winning another trophy, but his relationship with fans started deteriorating in the second part of the campaign. Zlatan scored the opener in a 2-0 win over Lazio in May, with Inter already eliminated from the Champions League and Coppa Italia. He celebrated with a brutal gesture towards the Curva Nord which signalled the end of his time at the club.
He joined Barcelona in a player-plus-cash swap deal involving Samuel Eto’o in the summer of 2009 and saw his ex-club win the Champions League that same season, eliminating the Blaugrana in the semi-finals. The Champions League’ curse’ hunted him for his entire career, and Ibra was never able to lift the cup with big ears.
He returned to Italy the following summer, joining Milan, on an initial loan deal with an option to buy worth €24m. With the Swede’s return, the Rossoneri won their first Serie A title in five years. Ibra scored 14 goals in 29 league games under Massimiliano Allegri but Milan failed to retain the title the following season and the striker joined PSG alongside his teammate Thiago Silva.
Ibra continued his career at Manchester United and LA Galaxy and when he seemed done with European football, Mino Raiola brought him back to the Peninsula in January 2020. Ibra returned to the Stadio Meazza in the aftermath of a 5-0 loss against Atalanta and his signing was eventually key for the development of the Rossoneri, on and off the pitch.
His charisma and winning mentality helped Stefano Pioli shape a young group of players with the emerging Rafael Leao and Theo Hernandez. The Swede wasn’t always fit to play, but his influence inside the dressing room has been perhaps the biggest factor that helped Milan their first Serie A title in over a decade in 2021-22.
His picture at the Mapei Stadium, smoking a cigar during the award ceremony is probably the most iconic moment of his second spell with the Rossoneri alongside the famous clash with Inter star Romelu Lukaku during a Coppa Italia quarter-finals against the Nerazzurri in 2020-21. The fight was also depicted in a mural outside the Stadio Meazza and was cancelled after Lukaku’s move to Chelsea in the summer of 2021.
Ibra underwent knee surgery immediately after Milan’s title celebrations last summer and only made four appearances in 2022-23, scoring one goal against Udinese. He was moved to tears by Milan fans before kick-off of the game against Hellas Verona on Sunday and emotions continued after the final whistle at San Siro when Ibra announced his retirement. His importance for the squad was mirrored by Rafael Leao who celebrated one of his goals against Hellas Verona by hugging his teammate on the touchline. Ibra’s legacy will never be forgotten at Milanello. After 156 goals in 283 Serie A games, Ibra will soon decide what to do in the next chapter of his life.
