Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a legend from Sweden and AC Milan, retired from all forms of the game at 41, hanging up his boots at the end of this season, with AC Milan.
The forward’s return to San Siro with the Rossoneri saw the team win the Serie A title after 10 years.
Over two-and-half decades, Ibrahimovic has shattered several records and has built a brand for himself, being the brash tall striker who remained a menace for the opposition throughout his career.
As his career came to an end last night, here are 10 records for Sweden’s most famous No. 9:
1. After his brace against Fiorentina in October 2021, Ibrahimovic became the oldest player ever to have scored two or more goals in a Serie A game and the first 40-year-old player to have scored two or more goals in a match in the big-5 European leagues in the 2000s (40 years, 48 days).
![In 2014, Zlatan Ibrahimovic became the highest goal scorer for Sweden. His record still remains intact, nine years later. In 2014, Zlatan Ibrahimovic became the highest goal scorer for Sweden. His record still remains intact, nine years later.](https://assetsss.thehindu.com/theme/images/ss-online/1x1_spacer.png)
In 2014, Zlatan Ibrahimovic became the highest goal scorer for Sweden. His record still remains intact, nine years later. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
2. On September 4, 2014, Ibrahimovic scored his 50th international goal for Sweden, against Estonia in an international friendly, surpassing Sven Rydell’s tally and becoming the country’s all-time top goalscorer. He scored 12 goals since.
3. Ibrahimovic is the only Barcelona player to score in each of his first five La Liga appearances.
4. After scoring against Udinese in March 2023, Ibrahimovic became the oldest goalscorer in Serie A history (41 years and 166 days), overtaking Alessandro Costacurta (41 years and 25 days, in May 2007).
5. Ibrahimovic has scored 156 Serie A goals – the highest foreign goalscorer in the league since his top-flight debut in 2004/05.
6. Only three players have scored in every minute of football – Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Suarez and Ibrahimovic.
7. Ibrahimovic (41 years and 146 days) is the oldest AC Milan player to play a Serie A game in the 3 points for a-win Era – before him was Alessandro Costacura (41 years and 25 days).
![Ibrahimovic’s return to San Siro with the Rossoneri saw the team win the Serie A title after 10 years. Ibrahimovic’s return to San Siro with the Rossoneri saw the team win the Serie A title after 10 years.](https://assetsss.thehindu.com/theme/images/ss-online/1x1_spacer.png)
Ibrahimovic’s return to San Siro with the Rossoneri saw the team win the Serie A title after 10 years. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
8. Ibrahimovic became the first AC Milan player to score 15 goals in his first 15 games in a single Serie A campaign in the three points-for-a-win era:
- Ibrahimovic: 15 goals - 2020/21
- Andriy Shevchenko: 14 goals - 2003/04
- Andriy Shevchenko: 13 goals - 2000/01
9. Ibrahimovic became the third player to score 300 goals in the big-5 European leagues in this century, after Cristiano Ronaldo (483) and Lionel Messi (475).
10. Venezia is the 80th different team against which Zlatan Ibrahimovic has scored in the Big-5 European leagues: since 2000, the Swedish player became only the 2nd player to reach this milestone, after Cristiano Ronaldo (on December 30 v Burnley).
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