An unusually reserved and humble Zlatan Ibrahimovic had to hold back the tears on Monday as he arrived in Sweden ahead of his return this week to the Swedish national squad after nearly five years away. 

Veteran striker Ibrahimovic, 39, showed a more sensitive side to his usually brash public persona when he was asked about what his two teenage sons, Maximilian and Vincent, thought of his international comeback. “It’s not a good question you’re asking. I had Vincent here, who actually cried when I left him. But it’s OK, it’s OK,” he said with tears.