Tears got the better of AC Milan ace Zlatan Ibrahimovic earlier on Monday, March 22, as he made a return to the Sweden national football team for the first time in five years.
🚨 Zlatan Ibrahimovic is named in Sweden’s international squad.
The 39-year-old had retired from international football in 2016 🚨 pic.twitter.com/BJckR8UBas
— B/R Football (@brfootball) March 16, 2021
Ibrahimovic announced his retirement from international football after Euro 2016 and looked to have played his last match for his country. However, he earned a recall to the squad for the World Cup qualifiers this week, thanks to his sparkling form with Milan.
The 39-year-old had earlier signalled his desire to feature for the national team in this summer’s European Championships.
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And while speaking to the media on Monday, he broke down in tears on his emotional return, revealing his 12-year-old son was disappointed he was quitting international football. He said:
Zlatan Ibrahimovic for Sweden 🇸🇪
🟡 116 caps
⚽️ 62 goals
🅰️ 17 assists
Not done yet 🦁 pic.twitter.com/gucWnEpnsF
— GOAL (@goal) March 16, 2021
“To play in the national team is the biggest thing you can do as a football player, and as I was following them (Sweden), inside me I was feeling I think I can help them, I think I can do something. “I’ve got the opportunity now to play for my country and I do it with honour, but it’s not only about that – it sounds like I’m only happy to be here, but I’m here to get results, to bring results for the coach and my team-mates and the whole country.”
Despite his advanced age, the former Man United star has been in fine form for AC Milan, scoring an impressive 15 Serie A goals to sit fourth on the Italian league’s goalscorers charts.
Read Also: Zlatan Ibrahimovic Considers National Team Return
He is now in line to feature in the qualifiers against Georgia, Kosovo and Estonia this week, with the legendary forward revealing he hopes to help the team progress further in the tournament.
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