Twenty-four years after he made his professional debut as a 17-year-old for Malmo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has called time on his career as he announced his retirement from football. This announcement brought an end to one of the best and perhaps the longest career at the top level for an elite footballer.
Throughout his career, the Swede won almost all with stints across Sweden, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, France, England, and the United States. What makes his career more prominent is that after going to the Major League Soccer (MLS), which is considered a league where players go just before retirement, he returned to Serie A to guide AC Milan and helped them win their first Serie A title in 11 years.
And in his long playing career, the Swede has amassed a huge collection of trophies that many players would envy.
Ajax
Ibrahimovic arrived at Ajax in 2001 and won a total of four trophies during his four-year stint at the club.
Eredivisie
In his first season in the Netherlands, he scored six goals and provided four assists in the Dutch league to help Ajax win their 28th league title. Two years later, he would play an even more critical role by scoring 13 goals and providing seven assists to win another league title.
KNVB Cup
Along with the Eredivisie, Ibrahimovic also helped Ajax win the KNVB Cup. In fact, with the final going to extra time after the score was 2-2 after 90 minutes, It was Ibrahimovic who scored the winner to win the title for the team.
Johan Cruyff Shield
The third trophy that he won at Ajax was the Johan Cruyff Shield which Ajx won after beating PSV Eindhoven 3-1.
Italy- AC Milan and Inter Milan
Serie A
Zlatan Ibrahimovic had one of his most successful years in Italy, where he won the Serie A with three different teams (Juventus, AC Milan, and Inter Milan). However, his two Serie A titles with Juventus were stripped after the Calciopoli scandal.
After leaving Juventus, he won three back-to-back titles with Inter Milan before going to Barcelona. Then, after a two-year stint, he would return to the league instead of joining Inter Milan’s city rivals AC Milan. And in his first season, he would win AC Milan their 18th Serie A title.
His next stint at the club would come nine years later, as at age 40, he would lead AC Milan to another Serie A title.
Supercoppa Italiana
Apart from the Serie A, the only other trophy he won in Italy was the Supercoppa Italiana: which he won with both Inter Milan (2006, 2008) and AC Milan (2010).
Barcelona
La Liga
Arriving at Barcelona for a massive fee of €66 million plus Samuel Eto’o Ibarhimobvic failed to live up to his reputation. However, he still managed to score 16 goals and provide nine assists which helped Barcelona win the La Liga.
UEFA Super Cup
In the same season, he would also win the UEFA Super Cup as Champions League winners Barcelona would beat Europa League winners Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0.
FIFA Club World Cup
Winning the Champions League also got Barcelona qualification to the FIFA Club World Club semifinals. Ibrahimovic would play both the semifinals and final as Barcelona won the competition to become the first team to complete a sextuple.
Paris Saint Germain
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was one of the first big buys after the takeover of Paris Saint Germain by the Qatari Investment Group. And in his four years spell at the club, he would win a lot of trophies.
Ligue 1
Ibrahimovic had an instant success at Paris as he guided them back-to-back four titles between 2012-16, scoring 113 goals and providing 44 assists.
Coupe de France
The second trophy that the Swede won in France was the Coupe de France which he won in the 2014–15 and 2015–16 seasons.
Coupe de la Ligue
Zlatan Ibrahimovic fared even better in the Coupe de la Ligue, a French cup competition in which only professional football clubs can participate. He won the tournament in 2013–14, 2014–15, and 2015–16.
Trophée des Champions
The Trophée des Champions is a competition played between the Ligue 1 and Coupe de France winners. And Ibrahimovic won the title three times in 2013, 2014, and 2015.
Read more:
- Manuel Ugarte: Talented midfielder set to be PSG’s newest signing
- Ilkay Gundogan’s next club: Five potential options for the German midfield maestro
Manchester United
After leaving PSG, Ibrahimovic joined Manchester United and, in his first season, helped the team win a treble.
FA Community Shield
The first trophy that Ibrahimovic won was the FA Community Shield, where Manchester United defeated Leicester City 2-1, with the Swede scoring the winning goal.
EFL Cup
The second trophy that he helped Manchester United win was the EFL Cup, in which he scored four goals, including a brace, in the final against Southampton.
UEFA Europa League
The final trophy that Ibrahimovic won, which also completed the treble, was the UEFA Europa League. However, the Swede would miss the quarter-finals, semifinals and final through injury.
