Zlatan Ibrahimovic was present at Friends Arena for the game between Sweden and Serbia this evening, with a ceremony planned to celebrate his efforts with the team. Indeed, as with his AC Milan goodbye, things got a bit emotional.
The entire crowd remained in their seats after the full-time whistle, despite the 3-0 defeat, knowing that it was time to celebrate Sweden’s best player of all time. After walking out on the pitch through a guard of honour, a video of Ibrahimovic’s journey was played on the big screen (see below).
Ibrahimovic then held a speech, thanking the Sweden fans for their support and encouraging the younger generations to never give up, using his journey as inspiration. Just like the goodbye at San Siro in 2023, the striker was visibly emotional as he ended with ‘You are welcome Sweden, I love you’.
❤ Zlatan Ibrahimovic was thanked by the Swedish national team this evening for the first time since his retirement 🇸🇪
📽 @SwedeStats pic.twitter.com/2NXotzKv95
— SempreMilan (@SempreMilanCom) June 8, 2024
Zlatan Ibrahimovic 👑 pic.twitter.com/H77cNXSGnu
— 🇸🇪 (@SwedeStats) June 8, 2024
👑 @Ibra_official pic.twitter.com/eFwQEqjYE6
— Svensk Fotboll (@svenskfotboll) June 8, 2024
Tifo for Zlatan Ibrahimovic! pic.twitter.com/ACenzrYrxs
— 🇸🇪 (@SwedeStats) June 8, 2024
What a true legend of the game,
Forza Zlatan,
Forza Milan!
Even well before my time I would argue that Nordahl probably had a bigger impact but Zlatan certainly also deserves a great sendoff from Sweden and the world of football.