Zlatan Ibrahimovic: from Malmö to the test of time, 45 years of legend

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who has always regarded time as a challenge, has gone from a young prospect to a football icon, and then celebrated his 45th birthday with the awareness that he has closed his career as a player and looks back on his adventure that spanned Amsterdam, Juventus, Inter and two spells at Milan.

From Swedish roots to the leap to Amsterdam

A story that began in Malmö took off in 2001 with Ajax, bringing the young Zlatan to demonstrate in Amsterdam a combination of talent, physicality, technique and personality that made him instantly recognizable. First a footballer, then a character, today a football man, he has turned the challenge of time into a career constant.

He stays at Juventus for two seasons, before moving to Inter in 2006. In Milan he becomes one of the protagonists of the Nerazzurri, winning three Serie A titles, although the first is awarded to him after the Calciopoli scandal. In 2009 he moves to Barcelona, a brief and complex experience, before returning.

In 2010 he joins Milan, and the following year wins the Serie A with the Rossoneri, also becoming one of the club’s symbols. From 2012 he moves to PSG, then to Manchester United and Los Angeles Galaxy, returns in January 2020 to Milan, where eleven years later the league title arrives. In 2023 he says goodbye to playing football, leaving behind provocations such as “I am Zlatan. Who the hell are you?” and “One of his most famous statements: ‘I don’t need the Ballon d’Or to feel like the best’.”