Retire and Be A Hero or Stay Going Long Enough to See Yourself Become A Villain
In football, veteran players get recognition when they perform at a good level for their age, especially in important leagues and teams. But, in some cases, people believe they’re playing because of their status and respect they’ve earned within a team, not because they deserve it.
So, despite being praised as legends, they end their careers with this bitter taste. This could be for many reasons, maybe the player didn’t feel ready to let go, maybe the manager respected his career that much, or could be that there isn’t a clear replacement for him, but in one way or another, they're always a target when things are not so good.
Well, this is the case for one of the greatest in the sport, Zlatan Ibrahimović. Despite his age (40 years at the moment of writing this), the striker has managed to remain at the top level, he even made a comeback to his loved club, AC Milan, after a period in the MLS with the LA Galaxy, and he helped the Italian team to get back to the Champions League after an eight-year absence.
As of today, Ibra has scored 33 goals and given 9 assists in 57 matches since returning with the Rossoneri. An unbelievable performance, especially considering that they are currently in the first spot of the Serie A. So, he plays an important role for Milan, he doesn't go unnoticed.
“I think I’m like wine. The older I get, the better I get”
After a successful spell with the Swedish National Team, Zlatan decided to retire after the Euro 2016. And, in the meantime, he kept scoring and being important for his teams, he was so good that it wasn't crazy to think about a return to the National Team. In 2018, with the World Cup in Russia ahead, this possibility was tempted by the press, there were a lot of rumors regarding a possible return from the striker, but, Sweden boss, Janne Andersson preferred to keep trusting in his players that accompanied him in the qualifiers.
His decision wasn't bad since Sweden played a decent role and managed to get to the quarter-finals and lost against England in a tight match. So, this made seen that the coach was right and definitively closed Ibra’s chapter with his National team.
But, there is always a but, Zlatan got called up to represent his country back in March of 2021 after his high level with AC Milan, at that moment, Ibra scored 15 goals in 15 Serie A matches. So, this was impossible to ignore for Andersson, and he included Zlatan in the squad to play against Georgia and Kosovo in the World Cup Qualifiers. Ibra played both matches and gave two assists to help his team take two important wins on their road to Qatar.
“The return of the God”
After his triumphal return, Zlatan missed matches due to injuries, but the most important ones were in the Euro 2020. A tournament where his National Team had a disappointing performance after losing against Ukraine in the round of 16. This could've made people think that Ibra’s presence was necessary because in one way or another his team performed poorly without him.
But, in football, there is always time to redeem, and that's what the Swedish National Team did in their next matches. With Zlatan being injured they played the next matches without him in the World Cup Qualifiers. First, against Spain, they got an unexpected victory that placed them with good chances to get the first place in the group to qualify directly to the World Cup. Despite their defeat against Greece away, they got 2 wins against Kosovo and Greece (this time at home), and these results placed them first with 15 points, in second place was Spain with 13. So, if in the next international break they manage to maintain this level against Georgia and Spain their dream would be fulfilled.
So, the important matches came in November, with Zlatan being included in the squad, but things wouldn't go as they expected… First, the match that they needed to win, against an eliminated Georgia, ended with a painful defeat, with Ibra playing 90 minutes. And, the match against Spain also finished with a defeat, with Zlatan coming from the bench in the last minutes, but not being able to twist the outcome. So, they stayed in second place and were condemned to face the playoffs to get the chance to play in the World Cup.
In the playoffs everything started as they wanted after a victory against Czechia in the semifinals, they were without Zlatan who was suspended, but, for the next match against Poland, he was available. Only that, in the end, Poland took the victory in a tough and polemic match, with Ibra on the bench, until the last minutes, when he came in and did great, but couldn't concrete anything to avoid their elimination from the World Cup.
Despite his good performance in the little amount of time he got to play, some people were expecting this moment to go after Ibrahimovic, claiming that his presence in the team wasn't necessary and his inclusion in the squad distracted his teammates in the most important matches of the qualifiers. They pointed out the games that the National Team played without him and manage to get the victory, as examples of how he was a problem for the team rather than a solution.
‘’I was not born into this world to convince people to like me”
All of this hate also comes from Zlatan being the figure he is, he is more popular for his quite egocentric side and not usually for his humility, despite he has shown it many times. So, it’s common that people try to backlash him because of that, but, this goes against him as a player, and the football legend he is. Whether you like him or not, he is the top scorer in the history of the Swedish National Team, one of the most capped players, and has won many trophies throughout his career and played in some of the best teams in the world.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic will come down as one of the greatest to ever do it, so it's sad seeing people disrespect his legacy like this, I'm certain that is not all the Swedish fans and media though. But, in one way or another Zlatan won’t give up, he has the support of his coach to continue his journey with the National Team and Ibra himself said that he hopes to keep playing for Sweden as long as he can stay healthy.
So, what do you think? Is Zlatan being disrespected or not? And, if you were the coach would you call him up, or would you rather give a chance to the youngsters?
