Zlatan Ibrahimovic has issued an apology to Manchester United fans in typical fashion over not joining the club earlier in his career.
After joining United in 2016 on a free transfer the veteran forward still managed to finish as top scorer with 28 goals in all competitions guiding the club to victory in the Europa League and Carabao Cup – at the age of 34.
However, a severe knee injury curtailed his career at Old Trafford before his eventual departure to LA Galaxy.
Now at 36, the Swede has already netted 12 times in 15 appearances and his issued a ‘Zlatan style’ apology to the Red Devils faithful.
“I feel sorry for the fans – if they’d seen me younger, they’d have seen a different lion,” he declared, as quoted by Sky Sports.
“For the Premier League, it would have been dangerous, as I would have eaten them for breakfast; instead, I took them for lunch. But I came: they wanted me, I gave them me and I took over. Been there and done that.
“I gave as much as I could for as long as I could; when I got injured, I got support in a different way. They always stood behind me and my team-mates.
“They are special: everywhere I see red, I think about United. It will remain in history and my career; when I look back at my time with United, I will do it with a smile. I wish them all the best in the future.”
Zlatan is a prolific goalscorer, who is best known for his technique, creativity, strength, ability in the air, and his powerful and accurate striking ability. He is currently the third-most decorated active footballer in the world, having won 32 trophies in his career.
Ibrahimović began his career at Malmö FF in the late 1990s, where consistent standout performances earned him a move to Ajax. At Ajax, Ibrahimović gained a reputation as one of the most promising forwards in Europe, and departed two years later to sign for Juventus. He excelled in Serie A in a strike partnership with David Trezeguet, before joining domestic rivals Inter Milanin 2006, where he was named to the UEFA Team of the Year in both 2007 and 2009. In addition, Ibrahimović would finish as the league’s top scorer in 2008–09 and win three straight Scudetti.
In the summer of 2009, he moved to Barcelona in one of the world’s most expensive transfers, before returning to Italy the following season, joining Milan in a deal that made him one of the highest-paid players in the world. He won another Scudetto with Milan in the 2010–11 season, before joining Paris Saint-Germain in July 2012.
During his four-season stay in France, Ibrahimović won four consecutive Ligue 1 titles, three Coupes de la Ligue, two Coupes de France and was the top scorer in Ligue 1 for three seasons. In October 2015, he became PSG’s all time leading goalscorer, and finished his PSG career with 156 goals in 180 competitive matches. After a brief stint with Manchester United, where he captured the UEFA Europa League and two domestic trophies, Ibrahimović joined LA Galaxy in 2018.
Ibrahimović is one of ten players to have made 100 or more appearances for the Swedish national team, over a 15 year international career. He is the country’s all-time leading goalscorer with 62 goals. He represented Sweden at the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups, as well as the 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 UEFA European Championships. He has been awarded Guldbollen (the Golden Ball), given to the Swedish player of the year, a record 11 times, including 10 consecutive times from 2007 to 2016.
With his playing style and acrobatic finishing compared to Dutch retired striker Marco van Basten, Ibrahimović is widely regarded as one of the best strikers in the game and one of the best footballers of his generation. His spectacular bicycle kick for Sweden against England won the 2013 FIFA Puskás Award for Goal of the Year.
Off the field, he is known for his brash persona and outspoken comments, in addition to referring to himself in the third person. In December 2013, Ibrahimović was ranked by The Guardian as the third-best player in the world, behind only Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. In December 2014, Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter named him the second-greatest Swedish sportsperson ever, after tennis player Björn Borg