Zlatan Ibrahimovic, born 3 October 1981, is a Swedish professional footballer. His primary position is as a forward, in which his technique, creativity, strength and ability in the air, have allowed him to become a prolific goal scorer, and well known for his powerful and accurate striking ability. Ibrahimovic plays for the English Premier League club Manchester United and was a member of the Swedish national team, debuting in 2001 and serving as captain from 2010 to his retirement from international football in 2016. Ibrahimovic is one of the most successful active footballers in the world, winning 32 trophies throughout his career.
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Ibrahimovic began his footballing career at Malmo FF in the late 1990's, before being signed by the Dutch team Ajax. After making a name for himself, he signed for Juventus and excelled in Serie A. In 2006, he signed for rival side Internazionale (Inter Milan) and was named to the UEFA Team of the year in both 2007 and 2009. Ibrahimovic also finished as the top goal scorer in Serie A in 2008-09 and won three straight Scudetti, a badge worn by the winning team of the league in the previous season.
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In the summer of 2009, Ibrahimovic transferred to Barcelona, before moving back to Serie A football the following season, joining AC Milan in a deal that made him one of the highest-paid players in the world. He went on to win another Scudetto with Milan in the 2010-2011 season, before heading off to join Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in July 2012. During his four season journey with PSG, Ibrahimovic won four consecutive Ligue 1 titles, three Coupes de la Ligue, two Coupes de France, and remained the top scorer in the league for three seasons. Ibrahimovic left the club as the all time leading goalscorer, with a total of 156 goals in 180 competitive matches.
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Ibrahimovic has also excelled on an international level, becoming one of ten players to have made 100 or more appearances on the Swedish national team, and becoming the county's all-time leading goalscorer with 62 goals. Having represented Sweden in a series of FIFA world cups and UEFA European Championship tournaments, his prowess on the field have been recognised through his receiving on the Guldbollen (the Golden Ball), which is given to the Swedish player of the year, for a total of 11 times, ten of which were consecutively given from 2007-2016. In July 2016, Ibrahimović signed as a free agent for Manchester United on a one-year contract, which had the option of being extended depending on his performance for the club. Despite his retirement from international football, Ibrahimovic's football career is not over yet. In fact, in 2013 he was ranked by the Guardian as the third-best player in the world behind Messi and Ronaldo, and in 2014 Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter named him the second-greatest Swedish sportsperson of all time, after tennis player Bjorn Borg. Want to see Ibrahimovic play live for Manchester United? Book your Manchester United tickets today at Doctorticket!
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