Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Encyclopedia
Zlatan Ibrahimović (ˈzlatan ibraˈxiːmɔʋitɕ; born 3 October 1981) is a Swedish
footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A
club Milan
and the Swedish national team
for which he is captain.
Ibrahimović started his career at Malmö FF
in the late 1990s under Roland Andersson
. He was signed by Ajax, and made a name for himself under Ronald Koeman
. Years later, he signed with Juventus
for €
16 million. Ibrahimović gained fame in Serie A
, benefiting from his strike partnership with David Trezeguet
. In 2006, he signed with league rival Internazionale
, where he won individual awards such as the Oscar del Calcio
, the Guldbollen
, and was named in the 2007 and 2009 UEFA Team of the Year
, in addition to finishing as the league's highest scorer in 2008–09 while winning three straight Scudetti. In the summer of 2009, he transferred to Barcelona
for €69 million, the second highest transfer fee in football history. His time at Barcelona was short lived however; moving back to Serie A football with Milan
the following season, in a deal which made him one of the highest paid footballers in the world and cost the Italian club a confirmed €24 million, more than €50 million less than what Barcelona paid for his services just one year prior.
to a Bosnian father that immigrated to Sweden in 1977, Šefik Ibrahimović, and a Croatian
mother, Jurka Gravić, who emigrated to Sweden, where they first met. Ibrahimović grew up in Rosengård
, a Malmö neighbourhood known for its immigrant communities, along with his three sisters and two brothers. After receiving a pair of football boots, Ibrahimović began playing football at the age of six, alternating between local junior clubs Malmö BI
and FBK Balkan
. He has stated in an interview that while his team was down 4–0 during halftime, he came on as a substitute for his Balkan youth team and dramatically scored eight goals. While in his early teens, he was a regular for his hometown club Malmö FF
. At the age of 15, Ibrahimović was close to quitting his football career, in favour of working at the docks
in Malmö, but his manager convinced him to continue playing. Ibrahimović successfully completed junior high school in the ninth grade. Though he was admitted to Borgarskolan
and had above average grades, he soon dropped out of high school to focus on his football career.
, Sweden's top-flight league. That season, Malmö finished 13th in the league and were relegated to the second division, but returned to the top flight the next season. Arsène Wenger
unsuccessfully tried to persuade Ibrahimović to join Arsenal
, while Leo Beenhakker
also expressed interest in the player after watching him in a training match against Norwegian side Moss FK. On 22 March 2001, a deal between Ajax and Malmö regarding Ibrahimović's transfer to Amsterdam was announced, and in July, Ibrahimović officially joined Ajax for 80 million Swedish kronor.
, but when Adriaanse was sacked on 29 November 2001, new coach Ronald Koeman
inserted Ibrahimović into the starting lineup as Ajax won the 2001–02 Eredivisie title. The next season, Ibrahimović scored twice in a 2–1 victory over French champions Lyon
in his Champions League debut on 17 September 2002. He scored four Champions League goals overall as Ajax fell to Milan
in the quarter-finals. In his final season with Ajax, Ibrahimović's profile rose when he scored a breathtaking goal against NAC
on 22 August 2004, a goal that was eventually voted the "Goal of the Year" by Eurosport
viewers. He netted only once in the 2003–04 Champions League (against Celta Vigo
on 22 October) as Ajax were eliminated in the group stage.
On 18 August 2004, Ibrahimović injured fellow Ajax teammate Rafael van der Vaart
during an international match against the Netherlands
, which led to accusations from van der Vaart that Ibrahimović had hurt him intentionally. This led to Ibrahimović's sudden sale to Juventus
on 31 August.
's injury problems, and scored sixteen goals. Near the end of the season, Juventus reportedly rejected a €70 million bid for him from Real Madrid
, which was later revealed to be a publicity stunt
initiated by Ibrahimović's agent, Mino Raiola
, in order to increase his market value. On 14 November 2005, he was awarded the Guldbollen
, a prize awarded to the best Swedish footballer of the year.
The following season was poor compared to his first season; his role in Juventus' attack changed, as he became less of a goalscorer and moved more to the sidelines, taking much part in the build-up play, especially as a target player, and his assist numbers increased. In the 2005–06 season, Juventus fans often got frustrated with him due to his anonymous presence in certain important games such as the Champions League defeat to Arsenal. Juventus were stripped of their last two Scudetti as part of the verdict from the Calciopoli scandal, and were relegated to Serie B
. The new staff tried to persuade Ibrahimović and other top players to stay with Juventus, but the player and his agent were adamant to move on, with Raiola threatening legal action in order to extricate Ibrahimović from his contract.
On 10 August 2006, Ibrahimović completed a €24.8 million move to Internazionale
, signing a four-year-deal, this coming only a few days after Patrick Vieira
had completed his transfer. Zlatan revealed that he had supported Internazionale when he was young. He started his spell at the club by scoring one goal and assisting another in a league match against Fiorentina
and ended his first season as Inter's top goalscorer with 15 goals. Inter won the league for the first time in 17 years. They finished the league with 97 points, a league record, a feat Ibrahimovic would go on to repeat at F.C Barcelona. During the season Inter also broke the European Big Five League Record for most consecutive wins, 17. The record still stands.
Ibrahimović played his 100th Serie A match on 16 September 2007. His contract was renewed in 2007, it was due to expire in June 2013. He was estimated as the top of footballer wages. He scored two Champions League goals in the group stage against PSV on 2 October, which marked his first European goals since December 2005 and his first goals overall in an Inter jersey, and finished with five goals in seven Champions League matches. Against Parma
in the final league matchday on 18 May 2008, he returned from a chronic knee injury and scored both goals as Inter won 2–0, clinching their third straight Scudetto.
On 16 November 2008, Ibrahimović said that he would not return to the Allsvenskan as an active player, but he would stay the rest of his active career as a player abroad.
Ibrahimović's 2008–09 season started brilliantly, hitting the back of the net in Inter's first league match. His goal against Bologna
was voted "Goal of the Year". He scored it with his heel without moving and accurately into the net from a cross by Adriano
. Ibrahimović's form in the season had been eye-catching, with clever movement on and off the ball, and his passing had been outstanding, such as his acrobatic pass against Lazio
. He ended a month long goal drought against Genoa
, handing them their first home loss of the season, making Inter the only team not to lose at home in the league. In the final league game of the season, Ibrahimović scored twice against Atalanta
, securing the Capocannoniere for himself by finishing one goal ahead of Marco Di Vaio
and Diego Milito
with 25 goals in the domestic season.
completed his transfer to Barcelona, president Joan Laporta
confirmed that there was an agreement in principle between Barcelona and Internazionale for Ibrahimović to join the club in exchange for Samuel Eto'o
, plus a fee. Laporta revealed that the negotiations started when he decided to divert a flight, which was originally from Ukraine
to Spain
, in order to have talks with Massimo Moratti
, the president of Internazionale, in Milan
. Ibrahimović left Internazionale during their United States
summer tour in the World Football Challenge
on 23 July 2009 for negotiations with Barcelona, with his last match for Internazionale being against Chelsea
. After Internazionale agreed terms with Eto'o and Barcelona with Ibrahimović, Barcelona announced Ibrahimović would arrive on 26 July 2009 and undergo a medical test on 27 July 2009. Ibrahimović passed his medical and was presented to a crowd of over 60,000 at Camp Nou
. He signed a 5-year contract, for €
46 million ($
65 million) and the exchange of Eto'o (valued at €20 million) and loan of Alexander Hleb (with an option to buy for a €10 million fee), with a €250 million release clause, making Ibrahimović worth €66 million ($94 million). However, as the Hleb deal collapsed, eventually Ibrahimović cost Barcelona €69.884 million (including other fees). Inter received €69.5 million, and part of the Inter fee (about 0.45%) was redistributed to youth clubs as solidarity contribution (except Juventus.)
Ibrahimović started the 2009–10 season with his competitive debut for Barcelona on 23 August 2009 by assisting on a goal by Lionel Messi
, leading them to the Spanish Super Cup
. In his next competitive match, Barcelona won the 2009 UEFA Super Cup
. In his third appearance, he scored his first goal in Barcelona's La Liga
season opener
against Sporting Gijón
in a 3–0 win. Ibrahimović went on to score in his next three appearances, thus setting a team record as the only player ever to score in his first four league matches.
On 20 October, he scored his first Champions League goal for Barcelona in a group stage match against Rubin Kazan
. Five days later, he scored twice in a 6–1 thrashing of Real Zaragoza
, giving him a league-leading seven goals in seven league matches while bringing Barcelona to the top of the table. However, on 7 November, Ibrahimović suffered a thigh injury that kept him out for three weeks. He returned to action in week 12 of the season against Real Madrid
as a second-half substitute for Thierry Henry
, and scored his eighth goal of the campaign. He finished with eleven goals and four assists in all but two of Barcelona's first fifteen league matches. Barcelona capped off 2009 by winning the Club World Cup against Estudiantes
on 19 December.
Ibrahimović scored Barcelona's only goal in the 2009–10 Copa del Rey
first leg match of the round of sixteen in a 2–1 loss to Sevilla
on 5 January 2010. On 20 January, he was selected in the 2009 UEFA Team of the Year. His first goal of 2010 came on 14 February against Atletico Madrid. In his next appearance, Ibrahimović scored against Stuttgart in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League knockout stage fixture. He was sent off on 6 March in a league match against Almeria
, which Barcelona appealed to no avail, and he was suspended for one game. A calf strain during warmups before the next La Liga match following his return from suspension against Athletic Bilbao
ruled Ibrahimović out of the second leg 4–1 victory over Arsenal
, in which he scored two goals away from home, the return leg of the El Clásico
against Madrid (which Barcelona won 2–0), and the next league match against Deportivo La Coruña. He made his return as a substitute in the 82nd minute in against Espanyol.
Ibrahimović finished the season with a sixth-best 16 league goals as Barcelona broke the world record of most points in a season in a 20 team league with 99 points in 38 matches. He scored his final goal for Barcelona in a Spanish Super Cup match on 14 August in a 3–1 defeat over Sevilla, and on 25 August, he played his last match for the club against Milan for the Joan Gamper Trophy
, after which he claimed to the media that his relationship with coach Pep Guardiola had started deteriorating and that Guardiola had not spoken to him since March.
announced on their official website that they had acquired the services of Ibrahimović for the 2010–11 season. He was loaned out to Milan for the 2010–11 season, with Milan having the option to purchase him outright from Barcelona for €24 million at the end of the season. He made his team debut in a 2–0 loss to Cesena
on 11 September, in which he missed a penalty late in the match, and scored his first goals for the club when Milan defeated Auxerre
in their first Champions League
match of the season on 15 September. On 14 November, Ibrahimović scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory against his former club Internazionale
in the Milan Derby
. On 20 November, he scored his seventh goal against Fiorentina
in the 45th minute with an over-the-head bicycle kick, passing Alexandre Pato
as the team's top goal scorer for the season. On 4 December 2010, in a game against Brescia
, he assisted Kevin Prince-Boateng to give Milan an early lead and then scored the third goal by a powerful shot near the edge of the penalty box to give Milan a 3–0 win. On 12 December 2010, history repeated himself in the game against Bologna
after he assisted Boateng to give Milan an early lead once again and scoring later that match to make it 3–0, leading him to 13 goals with 8 assists in 21 matches in all competitions, after which he has been compared to Milan legend Marco van Basten by both the media and van Basten himself.
He received a three-match ban after getting a red card during a Serie A
match against Bari
for punching an opponent in the stomach. He also received another 3 match ban on his return from the previous one for supposedly cursing at the ref. Ibrahimovic stated in his defense that he was talking to himself in frustration. He won his first Scudetto with Milan after a stalemate against Roma
. He is therefore currently on a streak of eight straight league wins in three different countries and with five different clubs, including the later stripped wins with Juventus
. All agreements between Milan and Barcelona were confirmed on 18 June 2011.
In the first official match of the 2011–12 season, Zlatan opened it in the best possible way scoring the first goal of a Milan comeback to beat city rivals Internazionale
in the Italian Super Cup. He also scored Milan's first goal of their 2011–12 Serie A
season in a 2–2 draw against Lazio
. He scored his third goal in the first three games in Milan's Champions League game against Czech club Viktoria Plzeň
from the penalty spot and assisted the second goal. Ibra justified his tag of the carrier of Milan by scoring in many games, yet still providing many assists. He scored in the next UCL game against BATE Borisov, a goal in Milan's 4-1 win over Parma and two more in their 2-3 win over Roma, ending a successful month of October. November was equally impressive for the Swede, scoring in consecutive games against BATE, in the UEFA Champions League
, and Catania, in the league. In the highly anticipated encounter between Milan and Barcelona, Ibra scored against his old club to equalise the game at 1-1 but eventually Barca ran away 3-2 winner at the San Siro. He ended Novermber with a brace against Chievo, his first goal took his tally of goals in the Italian Serie A to 100, and the second from the penalty spot.
, he chose to play for Sweden
, his country of birth.
Ibrahimović made his debut in a 0–0 home friendly against the Faroe Islands
at Tipshallen
on 31 January 2001 during the 2000–01 Nordic Football Championship. On 7 October 2001, he made first competitive match in a 2002 World Cup
qualifier against Azerbaijan
, scoring a goal in a 3–0 win. Ibrahimović was part of Sweden's 2002 FIFA World Cup
finals squad who were eliminated in the round of 16 by newcomers Senegal
. He made two substitute appearances, in the 88th minute of the final group game against Argentina
and the 76th minute of the match against Senegal.
Ibrahimović was in the starting lineup for all of Sweden's Euro 2004 matches. He scored a penalty in a 5-0 win against Bulgaria
and rounded off a fine performance against Italy
by scoring a late equaliser. However, he missed a penalty as Sweden were sent home following a shootout loss to the Netherlands
.
During 2006 World Cup qualification, Ibrahimovic scored four goals in a 7–0 victory away to Malta
on 4 September 2004. He did not score during the 2006 World Cup
finals as Sweden were knocked out in the round of 16, this time by Germany
.
He was called up for a Euro 2008 qualifier against Liechtenstein
on 6 September 2006, but two days before the match, he violated team curfew by leaving the hotel with teammates Christian Wilhelmsson and Olof Mellberg
and visiting a nightclub. Though none of the players consumed any alcohol, they were nonetheless all sent home by manager Lars Lagerbäck
as punishment and did not take part in the match. Mellberg and Wilhelmsson did not appeal the coach's decision, but Ibrahimović felt that it was unjust and therefore refused to take part in Sweden's next qualifiers against Iceland
and Spain
. He also refused to partake in a friendly against Egypt on 7 February 2007, but ended his self-imposed boycott a month later, and returned for Sweden's loss to Northern Ireland
on 28 March. He did not score in any of the 12 qualifying matches. Ibrahimović was awarded the 2007 Swedish Golden Ball as the "Country's Top Player of the Year."
Ibrahimović ended his international goal drought, which had lasted for over two years, against Greece
in Sweden's Euro 2008 opener on 10 June 2008, and the next match against Spain
four days later.
He finished the tournament with two goals as Sweden were eliminated in the group stage by Russia
.
Ibrahimović scored a goal in a 4–0 win against Malta
on 10 June 2009 in a 2010 World Cup qualifier
. On 5 September 2009, he scored a last second goal in Stadium Puskás Ferenc
against Hungary
in a 2–1 win for Sweden in their qualification
match.
Ahead of the Euro 2012 qualifications
, Ibrahimovic was named team captain
on his return to the national team. He scored his first goals of the qualifying game against San Marino
where he scored the first and fifth goals in a 6–0 win in front of over 21,000 home fans despite being down to 10 men for over an hour. His next goals came in the form of a hat-trick against Finland
whom they beat 5–0.
with whom he has two children, Maximilian (born 22 September 2006), and Vincent (born 6 March 2008). He currently resides in Milan, although he visits his summer home in Malmö
annually. Ibrahimović received a black belt
in taekwondo
at the age of 17, where he attended classes at the Malmö Taekwondo club Enighet. Ibrahimović is fluent in Swedish
, Croatian
, Bosnian
, English
, and Italian
. He is of Bosnian and Croatia
n descent.
The name Zlatan was trademarked in May 2003 by PRV
for "most likely being perceived as Zlatan Ibrahimović", which meant that he received exclusive rights to the name for certain products, including sporting goods, clothing, and shoes. He is under contract with Nike
and features in their television advertising. He wears the Mercurial
boot
line and has the names and dates of birth of his sons embedded onto the external sides of his boots.
In the fall of 2007, Ibrahimović, with the help of Nike, self-funded a new football pitch in the streets of his hometown of Rosengård
: he provided a playing mat, goalposts, lighting, and a modern fence. In 2008, he donated new Nike kits to his youth club, FBK Balkan
.
|-
|2001||5||1
|-
|2002||10||2
|-
|2003||4||3
|-
|2004||12||8
|-
|2005||5||4
|-
|2006||6||0
|-
|2007||7||0
|-
|2008||7||2
|-
|2009||6||2
|-
|2010||4||3
|-
|2011||8||3
|-
!Total||74||28
|}
| 1. || October 7, 2001 || Råsunda Stadium
, Solna Municipality
, Sweden || || 3–0 || 3–0 || 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
|-
| 2. || August 21, 2002 || Lokomotiv Stadium
, Moscow
, Russia || || 1–1 || 1–1 || Friendly
|-
| 3. || October 12, 2002 || Råsunda Stadium, Solna Municipality, Sweden || || 1–1 || 1–1 || UEFA Euro 2004 qualification
|-
| 4. || April 30, 2003 || Råsunda Stadium, Solna Municipality, Sweden || || 1–1 || 1–2 || Friendly
|-
| 5. || September 6, 2003 || Ullevi
, Gothenburg
, Sweden || || 3–0 || 5–0 || UEFA Euro 2004 qualification
|-
| 6. || September 6, 2003 || Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden ||
San Marino || 5–0 || 5–0 || UEFA Euro 2004 qualification
|-
| 7. || March 31, 2004 || Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden || || 1–0 || 1–0 || Friendly
|-
| 8. || June 14, 2004 || Estádio José Alvalade
, Lisbon
, Portugal || || 4–0 || 5–0 || UEFA Euro 2004
|-
| 9. || June 18, 2004 || Estádio do Dragão
, Porto
, Portugal || || 1–1 || 1–1 || UEFA Euro 2004
|-
| 10. || August 18, 2004 || Råsunda Stadium, Solna Municipality, Sweden || || 2–2 || 2–2 || Friendly
|-
| 11. || September 4, 2004 || Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta || || 0–1 || 0–7 || 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
|-
| 12. || September 4, 2004 || Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta ||
Malta || 0–2 || 0–7 || 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
|-
| 13. || September 4, 2004 || Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta || Malta || 0–3 || 0–7 || 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
|-
| 14. || September 4, 2004 || Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta || Malta || 0–5 || 0–7 || 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
|-
| 15. || June 4, 2005 || Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden || Malta || 4–0 || 6–0 || 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
|-
| 16. || September 3, 2005 || Råsunda Stadium, Solna Municipality, Sweden ||
Bulgaria || 3–0 || 3–0 || 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
|-
| 17. || September 7, 2005 || Stadium Puskás Ferenc
, Budapest
, Hungary ||
Hungary || 1–0 || 1–0 || 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
|-
| 18. || October 12, 2005 || Råsunda Stadium, Solna Municipality, Sweden || || 1–1 || 3–1 || 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
|-
| 19. || June 10, 2008 || Wals Siezenheim Stadium, Salzburg
, Austria || || 0–1 || 0–2 || UEFA Euro 2008
|-
| 20. || June 14, 2008 || Tivoli-Neu, Innsbruck
, Austria || || 1–1 || 1–2 || UEFA Euro 2008
|-
| 21. || June 10, 2009 || Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden || Malta || 3–0 || 4–0 || 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
|-
| 22. || September 5, 2009 || Stadium Puskás Ferenc, Budapest, Hungary || Hungary || 1–2 || 1–2 || 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
|-
| 23. || August 11, 2010 || Råsunda Stadium, Solna Municipality, Sweden || || 1–0 || 3–0 || Friendly
|-
| 24. || September 7, 2010 || Swedbank Stadion
, Malmö
, Sweden || San Marino || 1–0 || 6–0 || UEFA Euro 2012 qualification
|-
| 25. || September 7, 2010 || Swedbank Stadion, Malmö, Sweden || San Marino || 5–0 || 6–0 || UEFA Euro 2012 qualification
|-
| 26. || June 7, 2011 || Råsunda Stadium
, Solna
, Sweden || || 2–0 || 5–0 || UEFA Euro 2012 qualification
|-
| 27. || June 7, 2011 || Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden ||
Finland || 3–0 || 5–0 || UEFA Euro 2012 qualification
|-
| 28. || June 7, 2011 || Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden || Finland || 4–0 || 5–0 || UEFA Euro 2012 qualification
|}
Juventus
Internazionale
Barcelona
AC Milan
Individual
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
club Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
and the Swedish national team
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
for which he is captain.
Ibrahimović started his career at Malmö FF
Malmö FF
Malmö Fotbollförening, also known simply as Malmö FF, are a Swedish professional football club based in Malmö. The club is affiliated with Skånes Fotbollförbund and play their home games at Swedbank Stadion. The club colours, reflected in their crest and kit, are sky blue and white...
in the late 1990s under Roland Andersson
Roland Andersson
Åke-Erik Roland Andersson is a former Swedish football player and coach. His most recent job was that as the assistant coach of the Nigeria National Team under Lars Lagerbäck....
. He was signed by Ajax, and made a name for himself under Ronald Koeman
Ronald Koeman
Ronald Koeman is a former Dutch footballer, and the current manager of Feyenoord. He is the younger brother of former Feyenoord coach Erwin Koeman and the son of former Dutch international Martin Koeman...
. Years later, he signed with Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
for €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
16 million. Ibrahimović gained fame in Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
, benefiting from his strike partnership with David Trezeguet
David Trézéguet
David Sergio Trezeguet is a World Cup winning French international footballer who currently is a free agent after being released by Baniyas SC on 21 Nov 2011....
. In 2006, he signed with league rival Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
, where he won individual awards such as the Oscar del Calcio
Oscar del Calcio
The Oscar del Calcio are awards given by the Italian Footballers' Association to the players, the coach and the referee who has been considered to have performed the best over the previous Serie A season...
, the Guldbollen
Guldbollen
Guldbollen, , is a Swedish football award given by the Aftonbladet and the Swedish Football Association to the best male Swedish footballer each year....
, and was named in the 2007 and 2009 UEFA Team of the Year
UEFA Team of the Year
The UEFA Team of the Year is a football award given by UEFA through a poll on its . This award started in 2001 to allow users and visitors of the organization's website to choose their own eleven players and a coach based on their overall performances in European club football and international...
, in addition to finishing as the league's highest scorer in 2008–09 while winning three straight Scudetti. In the summer of 2009, he transferred to Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
for €69 million, the second highest transfer fee in football history. His time at Barcelona was short lived however; moving back to Serie A football with Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
the following season, in a deal which made him one of the highest paid footballers in the world and cost the Italian club a confirmed €24 million, more than €50 million less than what Barcelona paid for his services just one year prior.
Early life
Ibrahimović was born in SwedenSweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
to a Bosnian father that immigrated to Sweden in 1977, Šefik Ibrahimović, and a Croatian
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
mother, Jurka Gravić, who emigrated to Sweden, where they first met. Ibrahimović grew up in Rosengård
Rosengård
Rosengård, literally "Rose court", is a city district in Malmö, Sweden. As of 1 January 2007, the population was 21,955, of which 60 percent were born outside of Sweden. In 2008 a total 86% of the population in the city district was of foreign background...
, a Malmö neighbourhood known for its immigrant communities, along with his three sisters and two brothers. After receiving a pair of football boots, Ibrahimović began playing football at the age of six, alternating between local junior clubs Malmö BI
FC Rosengård
FC Rosengård is a Swedish professional football club located in the area Rosengård of Malmö. The club was founded in 1917 as Malmö Boll & Idrottsförening but has since been merged once and renamed twice...
and FBK Balkan
FBK Balkan
FBK Balkan is a Swedish football club located in the suburb Rosengård of Malmö. The club was founded in 1962. They currently play in Division 4 Skåne Sydvästra. The club comes from a Malmö neighbourhood known for its very large immigrant community, Balkan is most famous for being the club where...
. He has stated in an interview that while his team was down 4–0 during halftime, he came on as a substitute for his Balkan youth team and dramatically scored eight goals. While in his early teens, he was a regular for his hometown club Malmö FF
Malmö FF
Malmö Fotbollförening, also known simply as Malmö FF, are a Swedish professional football club based in Malmö. The club is affiliated with Skånes Fotbollförbund and play their home games at Swedbank Stadion. The club colours, reflected in their crest and kit, are sky blue and white...
. At the age of 15, Ibrahimović was close to quitting his football career, in favour of working at the docks
Dock (maritime)
A dock is a human-made structure or group of structures involved in the handling of boats or ships, usually on or close to a shore.However, the exact meaning varies among different variants of the English language...
in Malmö, but his manager convinced him to continue playing. Ibrahimović successfully completed junior high school in the ninth grade. Though he was admitted to Borgarskolan
Malmö Borgarskola
Malmö Borgarskola is a Swedish gymnasium located in Malmö, Sweden.The school was founded in 1874 and has a long tradition as an educational institute. The school is renowned for its International Baccalaureate programme, which consistently produces high achieving students...
and had above average grades, he soon dropped out of high school to focus on his football career.
Malmö FF
Ibrahimović signed his first contract with Malmö in 1996, and moved up to the senior side for the 1999 season of AllsvenskanAllsvenskan
Allsvenskan is a Swedish professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Swedish football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Superettan...
, Sweden's top-flight league. That season, Malmö finished 13th in the league and were relegated to the second division, but returned to the top flight the next season. Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger, OBE is a French association football manager and former player, who has managed English Premier League side Arsenal since 1996...
unsuccessfully tried to persuade Ibrahimović to join Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
, while Leo Beenhakker
Leo Beenhakker
Leo Beenhakker is an international Dutch football coach, who is the current Sports Director of Újpest FC.- Coaching career :...
also expressed interest in the player after watching him in a training match against Norwegian side Moss FK. On 22 March 2001, a deal between Ajax and Malmö regarding Ibrahimović's transfer to Amsterdam was announced, and in July, Ibrahimović officially joined Ajax for 80 million Swedish kronor.
Ajax
Ibrahimović received little playing time under manager Co AdriaanseCo Adriaanse
Jacobus "Co" Adriaanse is a Dutch football manager and former football player, who is currently the head coach of Eredivisie team FC Twente.-Playing career:...
, but when Adriaanse was sacked on 29 November 2001, new coach Ronald Koeman
Ronald Koeman
Ronald Koeman is a former Dutch footballer, and the current manager of Feyenoord. He is the younger brother of former Feyenoord coach Erwin Koeman and the son of former Dutch international Martin Koeman...
inserted Ibrahimović into the starting lineup as Ajax won the 2001–02 Eredivisie title. The next season, Ibrahimović scored twice in a 2–1 victory over French champions Lyon
Olympique Lyonnais
Olympique Lyonnais is a French association football club based in Lyon. They play in France's highest football division, Ligue 1. The club was formed as Lyon Olympique Universitaire in 1899, according to many supporters and sport historians, but was nationally established as a club in 1950. The...
in his Champions League debut on 17 September 2002. He scored four Champions League goals overall as Ajax fell to Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
in the quarter-finals. In his final season with Ajax, Ibrahimović's profile rose when he scored a breathtaking goal against NAC
NAC Breda
NAC Breda , simply often known as NAC, is a Dutch professional football club, based in Breda, Netherlands. NAC Breda play in the Rat Verlegh Stadium, named after their most important player, Antoon 'Rat' Verlegh. They play in the Dutch Eredivisie and are known by the fierce and fanatic support of...
on 22 August 2004, a goal that was eventually voted the "Goal of the Year" by Eurosport
Eurosport
Eurosport is a pan-European television sport network operated by French broadcaster TF1 Group. The network of channels are available in 59 countries, in 20 different languages providing viewers with European and international sporting events...
viewers. He netted only once in the 2003–04 Champions League (against Celta Vigo
Celta de Vigo
Real Club Celta de Vigo , simply referred to as Celta Vigo, is a Spanish professional football club based in Vigo, Galicia, currently playing in the Segunda División. It was founded on March 28, 1923 following the merger of Real Vigo Sporting and Real Fortuna Foot-ball Club.Nicknamed Los Celestes ,...
on 22 October) as Ajax were eliminated in the group stage.
On 18 August 2004, Ibrahimović injured fellow Ajax teammate Rafael van der Vaart
Rafael van der Vaart
Rafael Ferdinand van der Vaart is a Dutch footballer who plays for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the Dutch national team. His preferred position is as an attacking midfielder; he can, however, also operate in other positions, such as second striker...
during an international match against the Netherlands
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
, which led to accusations from van der Vaart that Ibrahimović had hurt him intentionally. This led to Ibrahimović's sudden sale to Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
on 31 August.
Juventus
Ibrahimović moved from Ajax to Juventus for €16 million. He was promptly inserted into the starting eleven due in part to top scorer David TrezeguetDavid Trézéguet
David Sergio Trezeguet is a World Cup winning French international footballer who currently is a free agent after being released by Baniyas SC on 21 Nov 2011....
's injury problems, and scored sixteen goals. Near the end of the season, Juventus reportedly rejected a €70 million bid for him from Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
, which was later revealed to be a publicity stunt
Publicity stunt
A publicity stunt is a planned event designed to attract the public's attention to the event's organizers or their cause. Publicity stunts can be professionally organized or set up by amateurs...
initiated by Ibrahimović's agent, Mino Raiola
Mino Raiola
Carmine "Mino" Raiola is a former former pizza restaurateur, Raiola is currently the agent of Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Italian striker Mario Balotelli, and he was for many years the agent of former Czech Republic star midfielder Pavel Nedved....
, in order to increase his market value. On 14 November 2005, he was awarded the Guldbollen
Guldbollen
Guldbollen, , is a Swedish football award given by the Aftonbladet and the Swedish Football Association to the best male Swedish footballer each year....
, a prize awarded to the best Swedish footballer of the year.
The following season was poor compared to his first season; his role in Juventus' attack changed, as he became less of a goalscorer and moved more to the sidelines, taking much part in the build-up play, especially as a target player, and his assist numbers increased. In the 2005–06 season, Juventus fans often got frustrated with him due to his anonymous presence in certain important games such as the Champions League defeat to Arsenal. Juventus were stripped of their last two Scudetti as part of the verdict from the Calciopoli scandal, and were relegated to Serie B
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
. The new staff tried to persuade Ibrahimović and other top players to stay with Juventus, but the player and his agent were adamant to move on, with Raiola threatening legal action in order to extricate Ibrahimović from his contract.
Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
, signing a four-year-deal, this coming only a few days after Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira is a retired French footballer of Senegalese descent who is the Football Development Executive at Manchester City....
had completed his transfer. Zlatan revealed that he had supported Internazionale when he was young. He started his spell at the club by scoring one goal and assisting another in a league match against Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
and ended his first season as Inter's top goalscorer with 15 goals. Inter won the league for the first time in 17 years. They finished the league with 97 points, a league record, a feat Ibrahimovic would go on to repeat at F.C Barcelona. During the season Inter also broke the European Big Five League Record for most consecutive wins, 17. The record still stands.
Ibrahimović played his 100th Serie A match on 16 September 2007. His contract was renewed in 2007, it was due to expire in June 2013. He was estimated as the top of footballer wages. He scored two Champions League goals in the group stage against PSV on 2 October, which marked his first European goals since December 2005 and his first goals overall in an Inter jersey, and finished with five goals in seven Champions League matches. Against Parma
Parma F.C.
Parma Football Club , commonly referred to as just Parma, is an Italian professional football club based in Parma, Emilia–Romagna that will compete in Serie A for the 2011–12 season, having finished in twelfth position last season. Founded as Verdi Foot Ball Club in July 1913, the club changed its...
in the final league matchday on 18 May 2008, he returned from a chronic knee injury and scored both goals as Inter won 2–0, clinching their third straight Scudetto.
On 16 November 2008, Ibrahimović said that he would not return to the Allsvenskan as an active player, but he would stay the rest of his active career as a player abroad.
Ibrahimović's 2008–09 season started brilliantly, hitting the back of the net in Inter's first league match. His goal against Bologna
Bologna F.C. 1909
Bologna Football Club 1909, known simply as Bologna, is an Italian Football League club based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, formed in 1993. The club are nicknamed the rossoblù because of the red and blue striped shirts they wear. Red and Blue are the official colours of the town.During its history...
was voted "Goal of the Year". He scored it with his heel without moving and accurately into the net from a cross by Adriano
Adriano Leite Ribeiro
Adriano Leite Ribeiro , commonly known as simply Adriano, is a Brazilian footballer who played striker who currently plays for Corinthians...
. Ibrahimović's form in the season had been eye-catching, with clever movement on and off the ball, and his passing had been outstanding, such as his acrobatic pass against Lazio
S.S. Lazio
Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
. He ended a month long goal drought against Genoa
Genoa C.F.C.
Genoa Cricket and Football Club, commonly referred to simply as Genoa , is a professional Italian football club based in the city of Genoa, Liguria...
, handing them their first home loss of the season, making Inter the only team not to lose at home in the league. In the final league game of the season, Ibrahimović scored twice against Atalanta
Atalanta B.C.
Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio, commonly known as just Atalanta, Atalanta Bergamo or the abbreviation Atalanta BC, is an Italian football club based in Bergamo, Lombardy.They are nicknamed the Nerazzurri and the orobici...
, securing the Capocannoniere for himself by finishing one goal ahead of Marco Di Vaio
Marco Di Vaio
Marco Di Vaio is an Italian football striker, who currently plays for Bologna FC. In his long career, Di Vaio has played for the likes of Lazio, Hellas Verona, Bari, Salernitana, Parma, Juventus, Valencia and Monaco...
and Diego Milito
Diego Milito
Diego Alberto Milito is an Argentine footballer who plays as a striker for the Italian Serie A team Internazionale. He also plays for the Argentine national team. A prolific and consistent center-forward, Milito has statistically averaged just over a goal every two appearances, over the course of...
with 25 goals in the domestic season.
Barcelona
After MaxwellMaxwell Cabelino Andrade
Maxwell Scherrer Cabelino Andrade , commonly known as Maxwell, is a Brazilian footballer who currently plays for Spanish La Liga club FC Barcelona...
completed his transfer to Barcelona, president Joan Laporta
Joan Laporta
Joan Laporta i Estruch is a Spanish politician and former president of Futbol Club Barcelona between 2003 and 2010.Laporta is a lawyer with his own firm, Laporta & Arbós, which has important firms as clients. Laporta was married to Constanza Echevarría and has three sons, Pol, Guillem and Jan...
confirmed that there was an agreement in principle between Barcelona and Internazionale for Ibrahimović to join the club in exchange for Samuel Eto'o
Samuel Eto'o
Samuel Eto'o Fils is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Russian team Anzhi Makhachkala. He is also the current captain of the Cameroon national team.Eto'o trained at Kadji Sports Academy...
, plus a fee. Laporta revealed that the negotiations started when he decided to divert a flight, which was originally from Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, in order to have talks with Massimo Moratti
Massimo Moratti
Massimo Moratti is an Italian oil tycoon. He is the owner and President of Italian football team Football Club Internazionale Milano, and Chief Executive Officer of Saras S.p.A.-Life and career:...
, the president of Internazionale, in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
. Ibrahimović left Internazionale during their United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
summer tour in the World Football Challenge
World Football Challenge
The 2009 World Football Challenge is the first World Football Challenge event, an exhibition international club football competition featuring football clubs from Europe and North America, which has been held first in summer of 2009. Chelsea F.C...
on 23 July 2009 for negotiations with Barcelona, with his last match for Internazionale being against Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
. After Internazionale agreed terms with Eto'o and Barcelona with Ibrahimović, Barcelona announced Ibrahimović would arrive on 26 July 2009 and undergo a medical test on 27 July 2009. Ibrahimović passed his medical and was presented to a crowd of over 60,000 at Camp Nou
Camp Nou
Camp Nou , sometimes called "the Nou Camp" in English, is a football stadium in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The stadium, located in the west of the city, has been the home of FC Barcelona since its construction in 1957....
. He signed a 5-year contract, for €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
46 million ($
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
65 million) and the exchange of Eto'o (valued at €20 million) and loan of Alexander Hleb (with an option to buy for a €10 million fee), with a €250 million release clause, making Ibrahimović worth €66 million ($94 million). However, as the Hleb deal collapsed, eventually Ibrahimović cost Barcelona €69.884 million (including other fees). Inter received €69.5 million, and part of the Inter fee (about 0.45%) was redistributed to youth clubs as solidarity contribution (except Juventus.)
Ibrahimović started the 2009–10 season with his competitive debut for Barcelona on 23 August 2009 by assisting on a goal by Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi is an Argentine footballer who plays for FC Barcelona and captains the Argentina national team, mainly as a striker. Messi received several Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations by the age of 21, and won in 2009 and 2010...
, leading them to the Spanish Super Cup
2009 Supercopa de España
The 2009 Supercopa de España was two-legged Spanish football match-up played on 16 August and 23 August 2009. It was contested by Athletic Bilbao, the 2008–09 Copa del Rey runners-up, and FC Barcelona, the 2008–09 Primera División Winners....
. In his next competitive match, Barcelona won the 2009 UEFA Super Cup
2009 UEFA Super Cup
The 2009 UEFA Super Cup was the 34th UEFA Super Cup, an annual football match between the winners of the previous season's UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup competitions...
. In his third appearance, he scored his first goal in Barcelona's La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
season opener
2009–10 La Liga
- Personnel and sponsoring :- Before the start of the season :- During the season :-League table:||rowspan=1 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|||rowspan=1 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|...
against Sporting Gijón
Sporting de Gijón
Real Sporting de Gijón, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club from Gijón, Asturias. Founded in 1 June 1905, it currently plays in Spanish first division....
in a 3–0 win. Ibrahimović went on to score in his next three appearances, thus setting a team record as the only player ever to score in his first four league matches.
On 20 October, he scored his first Champions League goal for Barcelona in a group stage match against Rubin Kazan
FC Rubin Kazan
FC Rubin Kazan is a Russian association football club based in the city of Kazan . Rubin won the Russian Premier League championship in 2008 and 2009.-History:...
. Five days later, he scored twice in a 6–1 thrashing of Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. is a Spanish association football team from Zaragoza in Spain. Founded on 18 March 1932, Real Zaragoza have spent the majority of their 78 year history in the Spanish top-flight. Real Zaragoza are Spain's 9th highest ranked team in overall league points...
, giving him a league-leading seven goals in seven league matches while bringing Barcelona to the top of the table. However, on 7 November, Ibrahimović suffered a thigh injury that kept him out for three weeks. He returned to action in week 12 of the season against Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
as a second-half substitute for Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and...
, and scored his eighth goal of the campaign. He finished with eleven goals and four assists in all but two of Barcelona's first fifteen league matches. Barcelona capped off 2009 by winning the Club World Cup against Estudiantes
Estudiantes de La Plata
Club Estudiantes de La Plata , simply referred to as Estudiantes, is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Plata. The club's football team currently competes in the Primera División, where it has spent most of its history....
on 19 December.
Ibrahimović scored Barcelona's only goal in the 2009–10 Copa del Rey
2009–10 Copa del Rey
The 2009–10 Copa del Rey was the 106th staging of the Copa del Rey. The competition began on August 22, 2009 and concluded on May 19, 2010 with the final held at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, in which Sevilla FC lifted the trophy for the fifth time in their history with a 2–0 victory over...
first leg match of the round of sixteen in a 2–1 loss to Sevilla
Sevilla FC
Sevilla Fútbol Club S.A.D. is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville, Spain that plays in the Spanish La Liga championship.They are one of the most successful clubs in Spanish football having won a 1 La Liga title, 5 Spanish "Copa del Rey" Cups, 1 Spanish Super Cup and 2 UEFA...
on 5 January 2010. On 20 January, he was selected in the 2009 UEFA Team of the Year. His first goal of 2010 came on 14 February against Atletico Madrid. In his next appearance, Ibrahimović scored against Stuttgart in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League knockout stage fixture. He was sent off on 6 March in a league match against Almeria
UD Almería
Unión Deportiva Almería, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Almería, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1989 as Almería Club de Fútbol, it currently plays in Segunda División, holding home games at Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos, with a 22,000-seat...
, which Barcelona appealed to no avail, and he was suspended for one game. A calf strain during warmups before the next La Liga match following his return from suspension against Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Club, also known as Athletic Bilbao, is an association football club from Bilbao in Biscay, Spain. The club has played in the Primera División of La Liga since its start in 1928. They have won La Liga on eight occasions...
ruled Ibrahimović out of the second leg 4–1 victory over Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
, in which he scored two goals away from home, the return leg of the El Clásico
El Clásico
El Clásico , also known as El derbi Español, is the name given in football to a match between Real Madrid and Barcelona. It is contested twice a year in the Spanish La Liga competition, and more often if the clubs meet in other competitions...
against Madrid (which Barcelona won 2–0), and the next league match against Deportivo La Coruña. He made his return as a substitute in the 82nd minute in against Espanyol.
Ibrahimović finished the season with a sixth-best 16 league goals as Barcelona broke the world record of most points in a season in a 20 team league with 99 points in 38 matches. He scored his final goal for Barcelona in a Spanish Super Cup match on 14 August in a 3–1 defeat over Sevilla, and on 25 August, he played his last match for the club against Milan for the Joan Gamper Trophy
Joan Gamper Trophy
The Joan Gamper Trophy or Joan Gamper Cup is an annual friendly football competition held in August, before the start of Spanish club FC Barcelona's La Liga season. The competition is hosted by FC Barcelona at the Camp Nou stadium and is named in honour of Joan Gamper, a founding member, player,...
, after which he claimed to the media that his relationship with coach Pep Guardiola had started deteriorating and that Guardiola had not spoken to him since March.
Milan
On 28 August 2010, MilanA.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
announced on their official website that they had acquired the services of Ibrahimović for the 2010–11 season. He was loaned out to Milan for the 2010–11 season, with Milan having the option to purchase him outright from Barcelona for €24 million at the end of the season. He made his team debut in a 2–0 loss to Cesena
A.C. Cesena
Associazione Calcio Cesena is an Italian football club based in Cesena, Romagna. The club was formed in 1940 and won the first promotion to Serie A in 1973. Since then, the club have been in the Italian Premier League for a total of in 11 seasons, reaching the best achievement in 1976 with the 6th...
on 11 September, in which he missed a penalty late in the match, and scored his first goals for the club when Milan defeated Auxerre
AJ Auxerre
Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise is a French association football club based in the commune of Auxerre in Burgundy. The club was founded in 1905 and currently play in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. Auxerre plays its home matches at the Stade l'Abbé-Deschamps on the banks of the...
in their first Champions League
2010–11 UEFA Champions League group stage
This article details the 2010–11 UEFA Champions League group stage.The group stage featured 32 teams: the 22 automatic qualifiers and the 10 winners of the play-off round ....
match of the season on 15 September. On 14 November, Ibrahimović scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory against his former club Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
in the Milan Derby
Derby della Madonnina
Derby della Madonnina, or the Milan Derby as it is sometimes known, is a football match between the Italian clubs Associazione Calcio Milan and Football Club Internazionale Milano. It is a hotly contested local derby and is one of the most followed derbies in football...
. On 20 November, he scored his seventh goal against Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
in the 45th minute with an over-the-head bicycle kick, passing Alexandre Pato
Alexandre Pato
Alexandre Rodrigues da Silva , commonly known as Alexandre Pato or simply Pato, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Italian Serie A club Milan and the Brazilian national team. His nickname, Pato, refers to his place of birth, Pato Branco...
as the team's top goal scorer for the season. On 4 December 2010, in a game against Brescia
Brescia Calcio
Brescia Calcio , known simply as Brescia, is the largest football club in the Lombard city of Brescia, where it was founded in 1911.In the 2009–10 season, in the return leg of the Serie B playoff final, they defeated Torino 2-1 at home , returning to Serie A after a 5-year absence...
, he assisted Kevin Prince-Boateng to give Milan an early lead and then scored the third goal by a powerful shot near the edge of the penalty box to give Milan a 3–0 win. On 12 December 2010, history repeated himself in the game against Bologna
Bologna F.C. 1909
Bologna Football Club 1909, known simply as Bologna, is an Italian Football League club based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, formed in 1993. The club are nicknamed the rossoblù because of the red and blue striped shirts they wear. Red and Blue are the official colours of the town.During its history...
after he assisted Boateng to give Milan an early lead once again and scoring later that match to make it 3–0, leading him to 13 goals with 8 assists in 21 matches in all competitions, after which he has been compared to Milan legend Marco van Basten by both the media and van Basten himself.
He received a three-match ban after getting a red card during a Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
match against Bari
A.S. Bari
Associazione Sportiva Bari is an Italian football club founded in 1908, they are based in Bari, Apulia and plays in Serie B. The club have spent many seasons bouncing between the top two divisions in Italian football, Serie A and Serie B....
for punching an opponent in the stomach. He also received another 3 match ban on his return from the previous one for supposedly cursing at the ref. Ibrahimovic stated in his defense that he was talking to himself in frustration. He won his first Scudetto with Milan after a stalemate against Roma
A.S. Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...
. He is therefore currently on a streak of eight straight league wins in three different countries and with five different clubs, including the later stripped wins with Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
. All agreements between Milan and Barcelona were confirmed on 18 June 2011.
In the first official match of the 2011–12 season, Zlatan opened it in the best possible way scoring the first goal of a Milan comeback to beat city rivals Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
in the Italian Super Cup. He also scored Milan's first goal of their 2011–12 Serie A
2011–12 Serie A
The 2011–12 Serie A is the eightieth season since its establishment, and the second under a league committee separate from Serie B. It began on 9 September 2011 and will end on 13 May 2012. The league was originally scheduled to start on 27 August, but this was delayed due to a strike by the players...
season in a 2–2 draw against Lazio
S.S. Lazio
Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
. He scored his third goal in the first three games in Milan's Champions League game against Czech club Viktoria Plzeň
FC Viktoria Plzen
FC Viktoria Plzeň is a Czech professional football club based in Plzeň. They currently play in the Gambrinus liga, the top division of football in the country....
from the penalty spot and assisted the second goal. Ibra justified his tag of the carrier of Milan by scoring in many games, yet still providing many assists. He scored in the next UCL game against BATE Borisov, a goal in Milan's 4-1 win over Parma and two more in their 2-3 win over Roma, ending a successful month of October. November was equally impressive for the Swede, scoring in consecutive games against BATE, in the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
, and Catania, in the league. In the highly anticipated encounter between Milan and Barcelona, Ibra scored against his old club to equalise the game at 1-1 but eventually Barca ran away 3-2 winner at the San Siro. He ended Novermber with a brace against Chievo, his first goal took his tally of goals in the Italian Serie A to 100, and the second from the penalty spot.
International career
Even though Ibrahimović was eligible to play for Bosnia and Herzegovina and CroatiaCroatia national football team
The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...
, he chose to play for Sweden
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
, his country of birth.
Ibrahimović made his debut in a 0–0 home friendly against the Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands national football team
The Faroe Islands national football team represents the Faroe Islands in association football and is controlled by the Faroe Islands Football Association, the governing body for football in the Faroe Islands. The Faroe Islands became a member of FIFA in 1988 and UEFA in 1990 and are the third...
at Tipshallen
Värendsvallen
Värendsvallen is a multi-purpose stadium in Växjö, Sweden. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Östers IF. The stadium currently holds 15,062 people and was built in 1966. The highest attendance ever was 26,404 against IK Brage in 1967, in the qualifying...
on 31 January 2001 during the 2000–01 Nordic Football Championship. On 7 October 2001, he made first competitive match in a 2002 World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
qualifier against Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan national football team
The Azerbaijan national football team is the national football team of Azerbaijan and is controlled by Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan...
, scoring a goal in a 3–0 win. Ibrahimović was part of Sweden's 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
finals squad who were eliminated in the round of 16 by newcomers Senegal
Senegal national football team
The Senegal national football team, nicknamed the Lions of Teranga, is the national team of Senegal and is controlled by the Fédération Sénégalaise de Football...
. He made two substitute appearances, in the 88th minute of the final group game against Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
and the 76th minute of the match against Senegal.
Ibrahimović was in the starting lineup for all of Sweden's Euro 2004 matches. He scored a penalty in a 5-0 win against Bulgaria
Bulgaria national football team
The FIFA Bulgaria national football team is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's home ground is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Luboslav Penev is in charge manager after replacement of Lothar Matthäus...
and rounded off a fine performance against Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
by scoring a late equaliser. However, he missed a penalty as Sweden were sent home following a shootout loss to the Netherlands
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
.
During 2006 World Cup qualification, Ibrahimovic scored four goals in a 7–0 victory away to Malta
Malta national football team
The Malta national football team is the national football team of Malta and is controlled by the Malta Football Association. Malta played its first international game in February 1957, and began competing for qualification to major tournaments in 1962. The side's first competitive victory came in...
on 4 September 2004. He did not score during the 2006 World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
finals as Sweden were knocked out in the round of 16, this time by Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
.
He was called up for a Euro 2008 qualifier against Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein national football team
The Liechtenstein national football team is the national football team of Liechtenstein and is controlled by the Liechtenstein Football Association. The organisation is known as the Liechtensteiner Fussballverband in German. The team's first match was an unofficial match against Malta in Seoul, a...
on 6 September 2006, but two days before the match, he violated team curfew by leaving the hotel with teammates Christian Wilhelmsson and Olof Mellberg
Olof Mellberg
Erik Olof Mellberg is a Swedish international footballer currently playing for Olympiacos in the Greek Superleague. He generally plays as a central defender or right-back.-Early years:...
and visiting a nightclub. Though none of the players consumed any alcohol, they were nonetheless all sent home by manager Lars Lagerbäck
Lars Lagerbäck
Lars Edvin "Lasse" Lagerbäck is a Swedish football manager and former player, currently managing Iceland....
as punishment and did not take part in the match. Mellberg and Wilhelmsson did not appeal the coach's decision, but Ibrahimović felt that it was unjust and therefore refused to take part in Sweden's next qualifiers against Iceland
Iceland national football team
The Iceland national football team is the national football team of Iceland and is controlled by the Football Association of Iceland. It has never advanced to the finals of any major international competition....
and Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
. He also refused to partake in a friendly against Egypt on 7 February 2007, but ended his self-imposed boycott a month later, and returned for Sweden's loss to Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
on 28 March. He did not score in any of the 12 qualifying matches. Ibrahimović was awarded the 2007 Swedish Golden Ball as the "Country's Top Player of the Year."
Ibrahimović ended his international goal drought, which had lasted for over two years, against Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...
in Sweden's Euro 2008 opener on 10 June 2008, and the next match against Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
four days later.
He finished the tournament with two goals as Sweden were eliminated in the group stage by Russia
Russia national football team
The Russia national football team represents Russia in association football and is controlled by the Russian Football Union , the governing body for football in Russia. Russia's home grounds are Luzhniki Stadium, Lokomotiv Stadium , and Petrovsky Stadium in St.Petersburg and their head coach is...
.
Ibrahimović scored a goal in a 4–0 win against Malta
Malta national football team
The Malta national football team is the national football team of Malta and is controlled by the Malta Football Association. Malta played its first international game in February 1957, and began competing for qualification to major tournaments in 1962. The side's first competitive victory came in...
on 10 June 2009 in a 2010 World Cup qualifier
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
The qualification competition for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation — the AFC , CAF , CONCACAF , CONMEBOL , OFC , and UEFA — was allocated a certain number of the 32 places at the tournament...
. On 5 September 2009, he scored a last second goal in Stadium Puskás Ferenc
Stadium Puskás Ferenc
Ferenc Puskás Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Budapest, Hungary. It is situated on the Pest side of the capital between the Stadionok and the Keleti Palyaudvar metro stations. It is currently used mainly for football matches. The stadium is going to be demolished sometime in 2012 and...
against Hungary
Hungary national football team
The Hungary national football team represents Hungary in international football and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation....
in a 2–1 win for Sweden in their qualification
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
The qualification competition for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation — the AFC , CAF , CONCACAF , CONMEBOL , OFC , and UEFA — was allocated a certain number of the 32 places at the tournament...
match.
Ahead of the Euro 2012 qualifications
UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
The qualifying competition for UEFA Euro 2012 is a series of parallel association football competitions held over 2010 and 2011 to decide the qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2012, to be held in Poland and Ukraine...
, Ibrahimovic was named team captain
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
on his return to the national team. He scored his first goals of the qualifying game against San Marino
San Marino
San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino , is a state situated on the Italian Peninsula on the eastern side of the Apennine Mountains. It is an enclave surrounded by Italy. Its size is just over with an estimated population of over 30,000. Its capital is the City of San Marino...
where he scored the first and fifth goals in a 6–0 win in front of over 21,000 home fans despite being down to 10 men for over an hour. His next goals came in the form of a hat-trick against Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
whom they beat 5–0.
Personal life
Ibrahimović has two siblings and three half-siblings. His longtime partner is Helena SegerHelena Seger
Helena Noell Seger is a former Swedish model, actress, and also the girlfriend of footballer Zlatan Ibrahimović.- Early life :...
with whom he has two children, Maximilian (born 22 September 2006), and Vincent (born 6 March 2008). He currently resides in Milan, although he visits his summer home in Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
annually. Ibrahimović received a black belt
Black belt (martial arts)
In martial arts, the black belt is a way to describe a graduate of a field where a practitioner's level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a degree of competence. It is often associated with a teaching grade though...
in taekwondo
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
at the age of 17, where he attended classes at the Malmö Taekwondo club Enighet. Ibrahimović is fluent in Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
, Croatian
Croatian language
Croatian is the collective name for the standard language and dialects spoken by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries...
, Bosnian
Bosnian language
Bosnian is a South Slavic language, spoken by Bosniaks. As a standardized form of the Shtokavian dialect, it is one of the three official languages of Bosnia and Herzegovina....
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, and Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
. He is of Bosnian and Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n descent.
The name Zlatan was trademarked in May 2003 by PRV
Swedish Patent and Registration Office
The Swedish Patent and Registration Office is a Swedish government agency based in Stockholm and Söderhamn. The agency is in charge of patents, trademarks and industrial designs. The Office acts as Patent Cooperation Treaty authority, i.e. International Searching Authority and International...
for "most likely being perceived as Zlatan Ibrahimović", which meant that he received exclusive rights to the name for certain products, including sporting goods, clothing, and shoes. He is under contract with Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
and features in their television advertising. He wears the Mercurial
Nike Mercurial Vapor
The Mercurial Vapor is a football boot manufactured by Nike. The boot is known for being lightweight. Because of this, the boot is favoured by many players for whom speed is a very important part of their game, notably wingers or strikers...
boot
Cleat (shoe)
Cleats or studs are protrusions on the sole of a shoe, or on an external attachment to a shoe, that provide additional traction on a soft or slippery surface...
line and has the names and dates of birth of his sons embedded onto the external sides of his boots.
In the fall of 2007, Ibrahimović, with the help of Nike, self-funded a new football pitch in the streets of his hometown of Rosengård
Rosengård
Rosengård, literally "Rose court", is a city district in Malmö, Sweden. As of 1 January 2007, the population was 21,955, of which 60 percent were born outside of Sweden. In 2008 a total 86% of the population in the city district was of foreign background...
: he provided a playing mat, goalposts, lighting, and a modern fence. In 2008, he donated new Nike kits to his youth club, FBK Balkan
FBK Balkan
FBK Balkan is a Swedish football club located in the suburb Rosengård of Malmö. The club was founded in 1962. They currently play in Division 4 Skåne Sydvästra. The club comes from a Malmö neighbourhood known for its very large immigrant community, Balkan is most famous for being the club where...
.
Career statistics
.| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | ||
| Malmö FF Malmö FF Malmö Fotbollförening, also known simply as Malmö FF, are a Swedish professional football club based in Malmö. The club is affiliated with Skånes Fotbollförbund and play their home games at Swedbank Stadion. The club colours, reflected in their crest and kit, are sky blue and white... |
1999 | 6 | 1 | — | — | — | 6 | 1 | — | ||||
| 2000 Superettan 2000 Statistics of Superettan in season 2000.-Overview:It was contested by 16 teams, and Djurgårdens IF won the championship.-League standings:-References:*... |
26 | 12 | — | — | — | 26 | 12 | — | |||||
| 2001 | 8 | 3 | — | — | — | 8 | 3 | — | |||||
| Total | 40 | 16 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 40 | 16 | — | |
| Ajax | 2001–02 | 24 | 6 | — | 3 | 0 | — | 6 | 2 | — | 33 | 8 | — |
| 2002–03 | 25 | 13 | — | 3 | 3 | — | 13 | 5 | — | 41 | 21 | — | |
| 2003–04 | 22 | 13 | — | 3 | 0 | — | 6 | 2 | — | 29 | 15 | — | |
| 2004–05 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | 3 | 3 | — | |||||
| Total | 74 | 35 | — | 9 | 3 | — | 25 | 9 | — | 106 | 47 | — | |
| Juventus Juventus F.C. Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont... |
2004–05 | 35 | 16 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 10 | 0 | — | 45 | 16 | — |
| 2005–06 | 34 | 7 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 9 | 3 | — | 46 | 10 | — | |
| Total | 69 | 23 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 19 | 3 | — | 91 | 26 | — | |
| Internazionale F.C. Internazionale Milano Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always... |
2006–07 | 27 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 36 | 15 | 5 |
| 2007–08 | 26 | 17 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 34 | 22 | 9 | |
| 2008–09 | 35 | 25 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 46 | 29 | 9 | |
| Total | 88 | 57 | 19 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 22 | 6 | 3 | 116 | 66 | 23 | |
| Barcelona FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.... |
2009–10 | 29 | 16 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 41 | 21 | 9 |
| 2010–11 2010–11 FC Barcelona season The 2010–11 season is Futbol Club Barcelona's 117th in existence and the club's 79th consecutive season in the top flight of Spanish football... |
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 29 | 16 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 42 | 22 | 9 | |
| Milan A.C. Milan Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others... |
2010–11 2010–11 Serie A The 2010–11 Serie A was the 79th season since its establishment, the first under a league committee separate from Serie B. It began on 28 August 2010 and ended on 22 May 2011... |
28 | 14 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 39 | 21 | 12 |
| 2011–12 2011–12 Serie A The 2011–12 Serie A is the eightieth season since its establishment, and the second under a league committee separate from Serie B. It began on 9 September 2011 and will end on 13 May 2012. The league was originally scheduled to start on 27 August, but this was delayed due to a strike by the players... |
9 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 14 | 12 | 3 | |
| Total | 37 | 21 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 53 | 33 | 15 | |
| Career total | 337 | 168 | 39 | 25 | 12 | 1 | 81 | 30 | 7 | 448 | 210 | 47 | |
|-
|2001||5||1
|-
|2002||10||2
|-
|2003||4||3
|-
|2004||12||8
|-
|2005||5||4
|-
|2006||6||0
|-
|2007||7||0
|-
|2008||7||2
|-
|2009||6||2
|-
|2010||4||3
|-
|2011||8||3
|-
!Total||74||28
|}
International goals
|-| 1. || October 7, 2001 || Råsunda Stadium
Råsunda Stadium
Råsunda Fotbollstadion, also Råsundastadion, Råsunda Stadium or just Råsunda, is a Swedish national football stadium. It is located in Solna Municipality in Metropolitan Stockholm and named after Råsunda, a zone of Solna.-History:...
, Solna Municipality
Solna Municipality
Solna Municipality is a municipality in Stockholm County in east central Sweden, located just north of the capital Stockholm. Its seat is located in the 'city' of Solna....
, Sweden || || 3–0 || 3–0 || 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
2002 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
Listed below are the dates and results for the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the European zone . For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification....
|-
| 2. || August 21, 2002 || Lokomotiv Stadium
Lokomotiv Stadium
Lokomotiv Stadium may refer to the following stadia:* In Bulgaria:** Lokomotiv Stadium ** Lokomotiv Stadium ** Lokomotiv Stadium ** Lokomotiv Stadium * In Georgia:** Locomotive Stadium * In Russia:...
, Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Russia || || 1–1 || 1–1 || Friendly
|-
| 3. || October 12, 2002 || Råsunda Stadium, Solna Municipality, Sweden || || 1–1 || 1–1 || UEFA Euro 2004 qualification
|-
| 4. || April 30, 2003 || Råsunda Stadium, Solna Municipality, Sweden || || 1–1 || 1–2 || Friendly
|-
| 5. || September 6, 2003 || Ullevi
Ullevi
Ullevi is a stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. The stadium was built for the 1958 FIFA World Cup, but since then Ullevi has also hosted the 1995 World Championships in Athletics and the 2006 European Championships in Athletics, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup finals in 1983 and 1990, the UEFA Euro 1992...
, Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden || || 3–0 || 5–0 || UEFA Euro 2004 qualification
|-
| 6. || September 6, 2003 || Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden ||
San Marino || 5–0 || 5–0 || UEFA Euro 2004 qualification|-
| 7. || March 31, 2004 || Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden || || 1–0 || 1–0 || Friendly
|-
| 8. || June 14, 2004 || Estádio José Alvalade
Estádio José Alvalade
Estádio José Alvalade is a football stadium in Lisbon, Portugal, home of Sporting Clube de Portugal, one of the country's biggest clubs. It is the center of a complex called Alvalade XXI , designed by Portuguese architect...
, Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, Portugal || || 4–0 || 5–0 || UEFA Euro 2004
|-
| 9. || June 18, 2004 || Estádio do Dragão
Estádio do Dragão
The Estádio do Dragão is a football stadium located in Porto, Portugal, with an all-seated capacity of 50,399. Inaugurated on November 16, 2003, it is the current home ground of F.C. Porto, having replaced the club's old venue, the Estádio das Antas...
, Porto
Porto
Porto , also known as Oporto in English, is the second largest city in Portugal and one of the major urban areas in the Iberian Peninsula. Its administrative limits include a population of 237,559 inhabitants distributed within 15 civil parishes...
, Portugal || || 1–1 || 1–1 || UEFA Euro 2004
|-
| 10. || August 18, 2004 || Råsunda Stadium, Solna Municipality, Sweden || || 2–2 || 2–2 || Friendly
|-
| 11. || September 4, 2004 || Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta || || 0–1 || 0–7 || 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
Listed below are the dates and results for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for UEFA teams. A total of 51 teams took part, divided in 8 Groups - five groups of 6 teams each and three groups of 7 teams each - competing for 13 places in the World Cup...
|-
| 12. || September 4, 2004 || Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta ||
Malta || 0–2 || 0–7 || 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification|-
| 13. || September 4, 2004 || Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta ||
Malta || 0–3 || 0–7 || 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification|-
| 14. || September 4, 2004 || Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta ||
Malta || 0–5 || 0–7 || 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification|-
| 15. || June 4, 2005 || Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden ||
Malta || 4–0 || 6–0 || 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification|-
| 16. || September 3, 2005 || Råsunda Stadium, Solna Municipality, Sweden ||
Bulgaria || 3–0 || 3–0 || 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification|-
| 17. || September 7, 2005 || Stadium Puskás Ferenc
Stadium Puskás Ferenc
Ferenc Puskás Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Budapest, Hungary. It is situated on the Pest side of the capital between the Stadionok and the Keleti Palyaudvar metro stations. It is currently used mainly for football matches. The stadium is going to be demolished sometime in 2012 and...
, Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, Hungary ||
Hungary || 1–0 || 1–0 || 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification|-
| 18. || October 12, 2005 || Råsunda Stadium, Solna Municipality, Sweden || || 1–1 || 3–1 || 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
|-
| 19. || June 10, 2008 || Wals Siezenheim Stadium, Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
, Austria || || 0–1 || 0–2 || UEFA Euro 2008
|-
| 20. || June 14, 2008 || Tivoli-Neu, Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
, Austria || || 1–1 || 1–2 || UEFA Euro 2008
|-
| 21. || June 10, 2009 || Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden ||
Malta || 3–0 || 4–0 || 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
The European zone of qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup saw 53 teams competing for 13 places at the finals. The qualification process started on 20 August 2008, after UEFA Euro 2008, and ended on 18 November 2009. The qualification process saw the first competitive matches of...
|-
| 22. || September 5, 2009 || Stadium Puskás Ferenc, Budapest, Hungary ||
Hungary || 1–2 || 1–2 || 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification|-
| 23. || August 11, 2010 || Råsunda Stadium, Solna Municipality, Sweden || || 1–0 || 3–0 || Friendly
|-
| 24. || September 7, 2010 || Swedbank Stadion
Swedbank Stadion
Swedbank Stadion, often known simply as Stadion, is a football stadium in Malmö, Sweden and the home of Allsvenskan club Malmö FF. In UEFA competitions the stadium is known as Malmö New Stadium due to sponsorship reasons...
, Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
, Sweden ||
San Marino || 1–0 || 6–0 || UEFA Euro 2012 qualification|-
| 25. || September 7, 2010 || Swedbank Stadion, Malmö, Sweden ||
San Marino || 5–0 || 6–0 || UEFA Euro 2012 qualification|-
| 26. || June 7, 2011 || Råsunda Stadium
Råsunda Stadium
Råsunda Fotbollstadion, also Råsundastadion, Råsunda Stadium or just Råsunda, is a Swedish national football stadium. It is located in Solna Municipality in Metropolitan Stockholm and named after Råsunda, a zone of Solna.-History:...
, Solna
Solna Municipality
Solna Municipality is a municipality in Stockholm County in east central Sweden, located just north of the capital Stockholm. Its seat is located in the 'city' of Solna....
, Sweden || || 2–0 || 5–0 || UEFA Euro 2012 qualification
|-
| 27. || June 7, 2011 || Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden ||
Finland || 3–0 || 5–0 || UEFA Euro 2012 qualification|-
| 28. || June 7, 2011 || Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden ||
Finland || 4–0 || 5–0 || UEFA Euro 2012 qualification|}
Awards and honours
Ajax- EredivisieEredivisieThe Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
: 2001–02, 2003–04 - KNVB CupKNVB CupThe KNVB Cup is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association since 1899. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside of the Netherlands, it is often referred to as the Dutch Cup...
: 2001–02 - Johan Cruijff Shield: 2002Johan Cruijff-schaal VIIThe match for the Johan Cruijff-schaal VII was held on 11 August 2002 between Eredivisie 2001-02 champions and KNVB Cup 2001-02 winners Ajax and Eredivisie runners-up PSV. Ajax won the match 3–1.-Match details:...
Juventus
- Serie ASerie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
: 2004–05, 2005–06 (both revoked)
Internazionale
- Serie ASerie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
: 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09 - Supercoppa ItalianaSupercoppa ItalianaThe Supercoppa Italiana is a pre-season football competition held the week before the season begins in Italy every year. It is contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season, as a curtain raiser to the new season. It is usually played at the home of the Serie A...
: 20062006 Supercoppa ItalianaThe 2006 Supercoppa Italiana was a match contested by the 2005-06 winners Internazionale and the 2005-06 Coppa Italia runners-up Roma. The Coppa Italia runners-up were chosen to play instead of the winners because of the aftermath of the 2006 Serie A match-fixing scandal...
, 20082008 Supercoppa ItalianaThe 2008 Supercoppa Italiana is a football match that was played by Serie A 2007-08 winners Internazionale and Coppa Italia 2007-08 winners Roma. The match proved to be a tightly contested affair. After exchanging goals, it appeared that Inter was on its way to victory on Mario Balotelli's goal...
Barcelona
- La LigaLa LigaThe Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
: 2009–102009–10 La Liga- Personnel and sponsoring :- Before the start of the season :- During the season :-League table:||rowspan=1 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|||rowspan=1 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|... - Supercopa de EspañaSupercopa de EspañaThe Supercopa de España is a Spanish football championship contested by the winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey...
: 20092009 Supercopa de EspañaThe 2009 Supercopa de España was two-legged Spanish football match-up played on 16 August and 23 August 2009. It was contested by Athletic Bilbao, the 2008–09 Copa del Rey runners-up, and FC Barcelona, the 2008–09 Primera División Winners....
, 20102010 Supercopa de EspañaThe 2010 Supercopa de España was a two-legged Spanish football match-up played on 14 August and 21 August 2010. It was contested by Sevilla, the 2009–10 Copa del Rey winners, and Barcelona, the 2009–10 Primera División winners.... - UEFA Super Cup: 20092009 UEFA Super CupThe 2009 UEFA Super Cup was the 34th UEFA Super Cup, an annual football match between the winners of the previous season's UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup competitions...
- FIFA Club World CupFIFA Club World CupThe FIFA Club World Cup is a football competition between the champion clubs from all six continental confederations.The first FIFA Club World Championship took place in Brazil in January 2000...
: 20092009 FIFA Club World Cup-Play-off for Quarter-finals:-Quarter-finals:-----Semi-finals:-----Match for fifth place:-Match for third place:-Final:-Scorers:4 goals Denilson...
AC Milan
- Serie ASerie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
: 2010–112010–11 Serie AThe 2010–11 Serie A was the 79th season since its establishment, the first under a league committee separate from Serie B. It began on 28 August 2010 and ended on 22 May 2011... - Supercoppa ItalianaSupercoppa ItalianaThe Supercoppa Italiana is a pre-season football competition held the week before the season begins in Italy every year. It is contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season, as a curtain raiser to the new season. It is usually played at the home of the Serie A...
: 20112011 Supercoppa Italiana- References :...
Individual
- Serie ASerie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
Top Scorer: 2009 - Serie A Foreign Footballer of the YearSerie A Foreign Footballer of the YearThe Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year is a yearly award organized by the Italian Footballers' Association given to the non-Italian footballer who has been considered to have performed the best over the previous Serie A season. The award is part of the "Oscar del Calcio" awards...
: 2005, 2008, 2009 - Serie A Footballer of the YearSerie A Footballer of the YearThe Serie A Footballer of the Year is a yearly award organized by the Italian Footballers' Association given to the footballer who has been considered to have performed the best over the previous Serie A season....
: 2008, 2009 - GuldbollenGuldbollenGuldbollen, , is a Swedish football award given by the Aftonbladet and the Swedish Football Association to the best male Swedish footballer each year....
(The Golden Ball): 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 - UEFA Team of the YearUEFA Team of the YearThe UEFA Team of the Year is a football award given by UEFA through a poll on its . This award started in 2001 to allow users and visitors of the organization's website to choose their own eleven players and a coach based on their overall performances in European club football and international...
: 2007, 2009 - Swedish Male Athlete of the Year: 2007, 2010
- JerringprisetRadiosportens JerringprisRadiosportens Jerringpris is a prize established by Radiosporten, the sport section of Sveriges Radio. The prize is named for the Swedish radio personality Sven Jerring...
: 2007
External links
- Zlatan Ibrahimović statistics – ESPNsoccernetESPNsoccernetESPN Soccernet is a website that provides comprehensive coverage of world football . Complete football information includes scores, statistics, and features of worldwide football.-History:...
- FC Barcelona statistics
- Zlatan Ibrahimović at Nike.com
- Zlatan Ibrahimović – UEFA.com
- Profile at SoccerSurfer.com