Sweden bracing for Zlatan farewell after Euro 2016
Reports in Sweden this weekend suggest that the striker will retire from international action. "No comment" from Swedish FA boss Hkan Sjöstrand.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is to retire from international football after the European Championship, various media in Sweden have reported.
National dailies Dagens Nyheter and Expressen said that the 34-year-old Sweden captain had already made the decision to retire after the tournament in France but did not provide sources.
Ibrahimovic played his last game for PSG this month and announced he will leave the perennial Ligue 1 champions for a yet-unknown destination after four years in Paris. Rumours abound that he will link up with his former coach at Inter Milan, José Mourinho, at Old Trafford after the Portuguese was installed as Louis van Gaal’s replacement last week.
The secretary general of the Swedish FA, Hkan Sjöstrand, refused to comment on the reports. “I don’t want to speculate,” he told Expressen.
If the reports are true, Ibrahimovic will play his last game for Sweden on home soil next weekend against Wales. The striker has already been ruled out of the match against Slovenia at the Swedbank Stadion on Monday, the home of Malmö FF, where he started his career.
Sweden play Ireland, Belgium and Italy in Group E at the European Championship, which kicks off on June 10.
Another veteran Sweden international, Kim Källström, has already announced he will retire after the tournament. “I think it is right to call time on my career after a big tournament like the Euros,” said the 33-year-old Grasshopper Zürich midfielder, who has 127 caps for Sweden.