A 24-year career as a professional footballer deserves respect, no matter who the individual may be. That longevity is seriously impressive, but the statistics go even further to suggest that Zlatan Ibrahimovic just might be the greatest forward of all time and sports betting odds at the time certainly reflected that.
His achievements underline his star quality and he’s won almost everything in the game. It’s time to take a look at his journey.
From Sweden to Milan
Born in Malmo in 1981, Zlatan Ibrahimovic rose through the ranks of youth football to sign professional terms with his hometown club. He made his senior debut for Malmo FF in 1999 and immediately began to show an instinct for goal.
He didn’t win any major honours in Swedish domestic football, but that would change at his next club. Zlatan really made his name at Ajax where he won two league titles and two domestic cups across three seasons.
That pattern has continued for much of the next twenty years. He’s currently at AC Milan and still playing at the top level at the age of 41. The striker has featured for no fewer than nine different clubs, but what have been his greatest achievements?
The Toughest Test?
Many players feel that the biggest test in domestic football can be found in England. The English Premier League is arguably the most competitive division in the world and it’s one that attracts greater investment and the biggest players in the game.
After a few difficult years, Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s former club Manchester United are bouncing back. Manager Erik Ten Hag has helped to transform the team and premier league odds show that they can be title contenders once again.
Zlatan couldn’t quite guide United to the title during his two years at Old Trafford, but he did help the club to three major trophies. The Red Devils claimed the Europa League and the EFL Cup in 2016/17, after lifting the FA Community Shield in 2016.
Zlatan suffered a major injury while at Manchester United, but his scoring record was a significant one. In 53 matches across all competitions, he found the net on 29 occasions. That ratio compares favourably with his overall record and it proves that Zlatan could thrive at the toughest level.
The Best of Times
Since that barren spell with his first club, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has secured one of the biggest hauls of trophies of any footballer. His biggest successes have come in Italy where he helped three clubs, Juventus, Inter Milan and AC Milan, to win seven Serie A titles.
Zlatan has also won top flight league winner’s medals in France, Spain and the Netherlands. The only thing that’s really missing from his CV is a Champions League win, but he’s compensated with a host of individual awards.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has yet to win the Ballon D’Or in an era that has been dominated by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Many feel that he is a more worthy winner of football’s most prestigious individual award, but he’s been highly decorated elsewhere.
Over the course of a career that has lasted more than 20 years, Zlatan has won the Puskas award while featuring in many UEFA teams of the year.
Secrets to Success
While he has been a prolific striker across his career, Zlatan Ibrahimovic isn’t a typical centre forward. He doesn’t tend to go for the tap ins, preferring to strike with a long range effort or an acrobatic volley.
It’s almost impossible to choose his best ever goal, but many would point to his spectacular contribution for Sweden against England in 2012. A long range, 30-yard bicycle kick into an empty net simply underlines his talent and his audacity.
There is debate as to whether that was his best ever strike, but it’s a great example of his playing style. He is physical and agile and Ibrahimovic is capable of spectacular assists as well as those incredible goals of his own.
He’s conquered the footballing world simply by gaining success in many different countries and that’s why many feel that he is the greatest striker of all time.
There’s never been anyone like him, but how much longer will Zlatan remain in the game?
What’s Next for Zlatan Ibrahimovic?
At the start of 2023, Zlatan Ibrahimovic was working back to full fitness following a long term injury, after a spell out of the AC Milan side. From May 2022 to the beginning of the new year, it had been a slow battle back to fitness and it must be even harder to bounce back at the age of 41.
That return casts doubts on earlier rumours that Zlatan was set to retire at the end of the 2022/23 season. While his time at AC Milan could be up, will there be another chapter in the Ibrahimovic story?