Zlatan Ibrahimovic has confirmed his retirement from football with immediate effect after his AC Milan contract ended.
Fans at the San Siro bid farewell to the Swedish striker ahead of his final game for the club, and while he said he was not going to retire, it now appears that the 41-year-old has changed his mind and quit the beautiful game.
Previous rumours had linked the football legend with a move to fellow Serie A side Monza, but Ibrahimovic has now decided to quit the sport entirely after leaving AC Milan.
The Sweden international became Serie A’s oldest ever goalscorer when he netted against Udinese in March.
Footage on Twitter revealed an extremely emotional man as he soaked up the atmosphere after announcing the end of his playing days.
Ibrahimovic played for both Milan clubs in a stellar career, but his recent years have been hit by injury, and he did not feature in the final game of the season, a 3-1 win over Hellas Verona.
Olivier Giroud scored a penalty just before half-time, while two late goals from Rafael Leao sealed the three points after Davide Faraoni had equalised for Verona.
The visitors now head into a one-off playoff game to decide if they will be playing Serie A football next season, after finishing equal on points with Spezia, who lost their final game of the season 2-1 away at Europa League final losers Roma.
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He was given a fitting send off by the fans on Sunday, with the ‘Godbye’ sign joined by flags with his face on across the stands in Milan.
The striker looked moved as he made a heart gesture to fans ahead of the game, as the club tweeted ‘I’m not cyring, you’re crying’ at the emotional scene.
Despite the limited role he has played this year, Zlatan is not planning on retiring just yet.
‘I’m not one to give up,’ he told La Gazetta dello Sport, ‘but there must also be joy in what you do, I can’t help but have peace in what I can do as number 1, playing football.
‘But we’re not there yet. I think I still have something to give. If I think about quitting? I don’t think so. If I have to continue playing? I think so.
‘But I have to find balance like in life. If you don’t have serenity, stability, you’re a bomb and the bombs explode.’
Monza have held talks over signing the striker, but the 41-year-old has been struggling with a knee injury picked up last season.
When asked about his fitness, Ibrahimovic replied: ‘I’m fine, I’m fine. I’ve worked a lot, I’ve forced a lot, not only this year also last year. But when I was knocked out, the team needed me.
‘And when you’ve done one thing all your life, when you know what you have to do but you can’t do it, then you continue.’
‘I won’t give myself peace. I haven’t found the balance. When everything comes, everything comes immediately. This thought is spinning in my head.
‘My head is too strong, I feel like Superman every time I come back, but I have to have balance.’
