Zlatan Ibrahimovic announces retirement from professional football

Zlatan Ibrahimovic brought the curtain down on a long trophypacked career on Sunday when he unexpectedly announced his retirement from footballVeteran striker Ibrahimovic revealed his decision to quit the game during an onpitch ceremony following AC Milans 31 win over VeronaIts the moment to say goodbye to football not just to you said Ibrahimovic on the San Siro pitchThere are too many emotions for me right now Forza Milan and goodbyeThe 41yearold had been expected to simply bid farewell to Milan fans after his departure from the seventime European champions was announced on Saturday He returned to Milan in late 2019 for a second spell after a previous twoyear period in which he won the Serie A title in 2011Ibrahimovic was a key figure in Milans resurgence to the top of Italian football after his return to the club helping to bring them back from the doldrums and eventually win the Scudetto last seasonThe first time I came here you gave me happiness the second time you gave me love said IbrahimovicYou welcomed me with open arms you made me feel at home I will be a Milanista for the rest of my lifeOver the course of his career Ibrahimovic won league titles in the Netherlands Italy Spain and France although his only major European trophy was the 2017 Europa League with Manchester United He has hardly featured for Stefano Piolis side this term after being plagued with injuries returning in February following surgery on his left knee in MayIn July he signed a deal which netted him around one million euros 102 million in fixed salary with large bonuses linked to appearances and achievements But the 41yearold only started one match and netted once for Milan this season a 31 win at Udinese in March in which he became the oldest goal scorer in Serie A history He then picked up a calf injury in a prematch warm up in April and ended his career sidelined before scotching rumours that he was set to move to Monza and targeting Euro 2024 with SwedenAlso Read Messi bids farewell to Paris amidst jeersThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever