Zlatan Ibrahimović

Zlatan Ibrahimović (born 3 October 1981) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a striker. Ibrahimović is known for his acrobatic strikes and volleys, technique, ball control, and physical dominance. He is regarded as one of the greatest strikers of all time and is one of the most decorated footballers in the world, having won 34 trophies in his career. He scored over 570 career goals, including more than 500 club goals, and scored in four consecutive decades between the 1990s and the 2020s. Ibrahimović began his career at Malmö FF in 1999, and signed for Ajax two years later, where he won two Eredivisie titles and gained a reputation as one of the most promising forwards in Europe. He departed three years later to sign for Juventus before joining domestic rivals Inter Milan in 2006. At Inter Milan, he won three consecutive Serie A titles and saw his popularity soar. In the summer of 2009, he moved to Barcelona in one of the world's most expensive transfers. After just one season, he returned to Italy, signing for Inter's rival AC Milan. Back in Milan, he won the Serie A title in his debut season. In 2012, Ibrahimović joined Paris Saint-Germain, leading them to their first Ligue 1 title in 19 years while establishing himself as a leading figure in their dominance of French football. During his four-season stay in France, he won four consecutive Ligue 1 titles, numerous domestic cups, was the top scorer in Ligue 1 for three seasons and became PSG's all-time leading goalscorer by the time of his departure. In 2016, he joined Manchester United on a free transfer, re-uniting with José Mourinho and winning the EFL Cup and UEFA Europa League in his first season. A serious knee injury in 2017 prevented him from playing for United regularly, after recovering Ibrahimović joined MLS club LA Galaxy in 2018. In January 2020, he returned to AC Milan and played a key role in reviving the Italian club, winning his fifth Serie A title in 2022. He announced his retirement at the end of the 2022–23 season. Ibrahimović is one of eleven players to have made 100 or more appearances for the Sweden national team, over a 20-year international career. He is the country's all-time leading goalscorer with 62 goals. He represented Sweden at the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups, as well as the 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 UEFA European Championships. He has been awarded Guldbollen (the Golden Ball), given to the Swedish player of the year, a record 12 times, including 10 consecutive from 2007 to 2016. Ibrahimović's 35-yard bicycle kick goal for Sweden against England won the 2013 FIFA Puskás Award and is considered one of the best goals of all time. He has scored other memorable goals, most notably in the European Championships. Ibrahimović was named in the FIFA FIFPro World XI in 2013 and the UEFA Team of the Year in 2007, 2009, 2013, and 2014. He finished at a peak of fourth for the FIFA Ballon d'Or in 2013. In 2015, UEFA included him as one of the best players that have not won the UEFA Champions League, while in 2019, FourFourTwo magazine named him the third-greatest player never to win the competition. In December 2014, Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter ranked him the second-greatest Swedish sportsperson ever, after tennis player Björn Borg. Off the field, Ibrahimović is known for his brash persona and outspoken comments, which often involve talking about himself in the third person. He has attained cult status among football fans, in equal parts due to his generational talent and charisma.