Zlatan Ibrahimović: the Swedish striker famed for acrobatic goals

Zlatan Ibrahimović was a Sweden striker who became famous for his remarkable agility and acrobatic goals despite his height. He played for clubs in the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, France, England and the United States³⁷. With 62 goals in 122 matches, he is Sweden’s highest goalscorer¹. His overhead kick against England in 2012 was named FIFA’s goal of the year in 2013⁸.

Early life and beginnings

Ibrahimović was born in Malmö, Sweden, in 1981. He began his professional career in 1999 with his hometown club Malmö FF. In 2001 he moved to the Dutch club Ajax¹¹⁰.

Club career

After Ajax he came to Italy, playing first for Juventus and then for Inter Milan¹. The 2008-09 season was his best at Inter. Under coach José Mourinho, he scored 29 goals in 47 matches, including 25 in the league, and Inter became Italian champions. He scored twice against Atalanta in the final match to finish as the league’s top scorer⁴. In the same season, his backheeled volley against Bologna was chosen as the league’s best goal³.

In 2009 he moved to Barcelona in an exchange deal in which Samuel Eto’o came to Inter¹¹. He then joined AC Milan. In 2011-12 he scored 28 goals in Serie A³.

In 2012 he moved to Paris Saint-Germain. In four seasons he scored 156 goals in 180 matches, which according to AFP was the club record until Edinson Cavani broke it in January 2018⁵. According to The Local, he had become PSG’s top scorer by November 2015⁹.

On 1 July 2016, aged 34, he joined Manchester United on a one-year contract. According to UEFA, England was the sixth country in which he played club football³. On 26 February 2017, in the League Cup final at Wembley, he scored from a free kick in the 19th minute. He then scored a decisive header in the closing moments to give his side a 3-2 win over Southampton⁶.

In March 2018 he joined the American club LA Galaxy. On 31 March, in his first match against Los Angeles FC, he came on in the 71st minute with his team trailing 3-1. A few minutes later he scored an equaliser from about 38 yards, and in added time he scored the winner with a header. Galaxy won 4-3⁷.

In January 2020 he returned to Milan and in 2022 won the Italian league with the club for the second time. In his two spells at Milan, he scored 93 goals in 163 matches. On 4 June 2023, aged 41, he announced his retirement after the final match of the season at San Siro. He said: “It is time to say goodbye to football, but not to you”¹.

International career

At Euro 2004 in Porto, he scored against Italy in the 85th minute, back to goal, flicking the ball with his heel to make it 1-1. According to UEFA, the ball went over the head of the Italian player Cristian Vieri, who was standing on the goal line². He retired from international football after Euro 2016³, although he later returned for a short time¹⁰.

In a friendly against England in November 2012, which Sweden won 4-2, he leapt into the air well away from goal, hit an overhead kick and the ball went into the net. The goal earned him the 2013 FIFA Puskás Award⁸. His record of 62 goals in 122 matches for Sweden is his final tally¹.

Style of play

Ibrahimović was a tall, strong striker, but his game was built on remarkable agility, ball control and scoring from unexpected angles¹⁰. Backheeled goals, overhead kicks and long-range volleys became his hallmarks²⁸. He held up the ball to bring team-mates into play and also took free kicks, as the League Cup final shows⁶. According to UEFA, from 2003 to 2016 he was top scorer in his league in every season but one³.

Statistics

These figures cover all official matches and were taken from AP and AFP on 20 October 2026¹⁵. Separate figures for Malmö, Ajax, Juventus, Inter, Barcelona, Manchester United and LA Galaxy are not included in this table because they could not be confirmed by another source¹⁰.

Honours

• Italian league: with Inter (including 2009) and twice with Milan (including 2022) [1][4]
• English League Cup: 2017 [6]
• FIFA Puskás Award (goal of the year): 2013 [8]
• Sweden’s player of the year award (Guldbollen): at least 10 times, a record [9]
• Serie A top scorer: 2008-09 [4]
• Sweden’s highest goalscorer: 62 goals [1]

Legacy

Ibrahimović showed that a tall and powerful striker could also be acrobatic and creative. According to AP, he scored more than 400 goals in a career that began in 1999. His success in the leagues of six countries, the PSG scoring record and the Sweden scoring record place him among the most prominent players of his era¹⁵.