Zlatan Ibrahimovic breaks down in tears as he confirms retirement from football

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    Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 41, has announced his decision to hang up his boots after he made one last appearance at the San Siro.

    Ibrahimovic has spent the majority of the season injured, but made a trip to the San Siro to watch AC Milan's final Serie A game on Sunday. However, after the game, the big Swede made his way onto the pitch to address the crowd.

    And as he broke down in tears, Ibrahimovic told the supporters: "The time has arrived to say goodbye". The San Siro, who had already paid tribute to Ibrahimovic earlier in the evening with a tifo, all applauded the legend as he walked away from the pitch one last time.

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    Ibrahimovic has been one of the standout stars of the sport for the past two decades, having burst onto the scene at Swedish giants Malmo. However, it was at Ajax when he first announced himself onto the European stage with a mazy run through the heart of NAC Breda's defence.

    It was the start of a storied career that has more than its fair share of colourful stories – some held more in truth than others, like the rumour he told Arsene Wenger he "doesn't do auditions" when asked to join Arsenal. However, the Gunners weren't the only big side to come calling.

    Ibrahimovic moved to Juventus and then to Inter Milan before Pep Guardiola and Barcelona came calling. However, he struggled in Catalonia – blasting Guardiola for not playing him like the Ferrari he bought.

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    Arguably, Ibrahimovic's best spell came at PSG, where he was the jewel in the crowd for the French's giants litany of expensive stars.

    However, even Ibrahimovic couldn't usher European glory to the Parc des Princes. Instead, he moved onto another famous club, Manchester United. And he introduced himself to the Old Trafford faithful the only way he knew how – a goal in the Manchester derby.

    Having won just about everything, Ibrahimovic couldn't claim a Premier League title during his time on these shores, but he was more than happy with his time in here: "I conquered England – it took three months."

    The big Swede's next move was across the Atlantic, announcing he had joined LA Galaxy by renting out an entire page of the LA Times: "Dear Los Angeles, you're welcome."

    However, people were starting question if Ibra's mouth had finally started to outshine his prestigious talent on the pitch – with the striker also claiming fans shouldn't watch the World Cup, 'because it's not worth watching if Zlatan isn't playing'.

    Ibrahimovic quickly shut them up by scoring a hat-trick on his debut – including a 40-yard volley – against LAFC.

    Ibrahimovic though wasn't happy with retiring in the MLS, and he baffled fans when he returned to Europe with AC Milan in 2019. Although the speed wasn't quite there, his powers had far from faded, and on a knee that was falling apart he won the scudetto.

    His final season has been plagued with injuries, but his final appearance, against Udinese in March, yielded a goal for Ibrahimovic.

    Whatever he does next, it's clear football won't see another player like Ibrahimovic for a very long time.

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